USA University rankings. MIT is at top (again!).
University rankings is a quirky business, and as far as the annual US college and university rankings is concerned, the US News & World Report rankings basically do not much more than indicate a trend towards the quality of education and success rate of its student body. Such listings are useful, but serve a limited purpose. They somehow do not indicate well enough how that university and its students/alum have contributed to the society.
However, a new kind of university ranking has now hit town, and in may ways this might provide more useful information for policy-makers and motivated student/alumni body (alike). The ranking is not about the student-teacher ratios, money availble for research, endowment contributions by alumni etc, but about the social impact of universities and their students. Its a fascinating list, and one that deserves a second and a third look. I stand proud today - not just because MIT once again reached the highest rankings among other colleges and universities, but because it has been recognized today for making meaningful and real difference in people’s lives. An aspiration I believe I was also taught at MIT.
The Chronicle of Higher Education reads:
The Washington Monthly, a political magazine, today published its second annual college rankings, and they’re quite a different animal from the lists compiled by magazines like U.S. News & World Report. As with last year’s rankings (The Chronicle, August 22, 2005), the 2006 batch gives top billing to colleges that are engines of social mobility, not just finishing schools for the super-rich; that foster “scientific and humanistic research”; and that promote an “ethic of service to country.”
With those criteria, the rankings come out quite a bit differently than those compiled by U.S. News. Most of the Ivy League institutions plummet; many state colleges and universities rise to the top. The University of California, for example, put four of its campuses (Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Davis) into the top 10 among national universities.
The top institution over all, as last year, is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Among liberal-arts colleges, Bryn Mawr College nosed out last year’s leading institution, Wellesley College, for the top spot.
Here are the top 50 rankings for 2006. The full list can be found here.
| Washington Monthly Ranking | University *Public University |
State | U.S. News Ranking **Unranked |
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MA | 7 |
| 2 | University of California, Berkeley* | CA | 20 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania State University, University Park* | PA | 48 |
| 4 | University of California, Los Angeles* | CA | 25 |
| 5 | Texas A&M University* | TX | 60 |
| 6 | University of California, San Diego* | CA | 32 |
| 7 | Stanford University | CA | 5 |
| 8 | Cornell University | NY | 13 |
| 9 | South Carolina State University* | SC | ** |
| 10 | University of California, Davis* | CA | 48 |
| 11 | University of Wisconsin, Madison* | WI | 34 |
| 12 | Yale University | CT | 3 |
| 13 | University of Notre Dame | IN | 18 |
| 14 | University of Chicago | IL | 15 |
| 15 | University of Washington* | WA | 45 |
| 16 | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign* | IL | 42 |
| 17 | University of Texas, Austin* | TX | 52 |
| 18 | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor* | MI | 25 |
| 19 | College of William and Mary | VA)* | 31 |
| 20 | University of Virginia* | VA | 23 |
| 21 | University of Rochester | NY | 34 |
| 22 | University of California, Riverside* | CA | 85 |
| 23 | Duke University | NC | 5 |
| 24 | Alabama A&M University* | AL | ** |
| 25 | Case Western Reserve University | OH | 37 |
| 26 | Rice University | TX | 17 |
| 27 | Ohio State University, Columbus* | OH | 60 |
| 28 | Harvard University | MA | 1 |
| 29 | Johns Hopkins University | MD | 13 |
| 30 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | 4 |
| 31 | Georgetown University | DC | 23 |
| 32 | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill* | NC | 27 |
| 33 | University of Southern California | SC | 30 |
| 34 | Brown University | RI | 15 |
| 35 | Dartmouth College | NH | 9 |
| 36 | Columbia University | NY | 9 |
| 37 | University of Florida* | FL | 50 |
| 38 | Iowa State University* | IA | 85 |
| 39 | University of Arizona* | AZ | 97 |
| 40 | Ohio University* | OH | 60 |
| 41 | Fordham University | NY | 68 |
| 42 | Northwestern University | IL | 12 |
| 43 | Princeton University | NJ | 1 |
| 44 | New Mexico State University* | NM | ** |
| 45 | Washington University in St. Louis | WA | 120 |
| 46 | Jackson State University* | MS | ** |
| 47 | Vanderbilt University | TN | 18 |
| 48 | Utah State University* | UT | ** |
| 49 | Marquette University | WI | 85 |
| 50 | Michigan State University* | MI | 74 |












September 1, 2006 at 3:56 pm
i would like to know the rank of long island university cw post campus brookville, NY.and its college of liberal arts and science rank too.
thanking you,
ravi kishore narra
November 21, 2006 at 3:39 am
please prepare a university list subject wise.Physics mathematics.
February 24, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Hi
I am Sachin Chadha. I wanted to know the ranking of the following Univeristy in Under Graduate.
1) University at Buffalo
2) California State university, Long Beach
3) California State university, San Jose.
Thanks
Regards
Sachin Chadha
March 6, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Hi,
I want to know about the Stratford University.Its in Virginia.Please do tell me whether it is accrediated or have a good reputation.
April 20, 2007 at 6:55 am
You stupid americans!! how can you have such a difference in how good a university is. Is it just opinions or do you base your results on facts?
May 13, 2007 at 2:06 pm
I want to know the rank of IIT(Indian institutes of technologies.
May 13, 2007 at 2:14 pm
HELLO
May 13, 2007 at 2:20 pm
mit is a good university
May 24, 2007 at 12:23 pm
What are the criterias for this ranking.Is it widely accepted in usa for refferencing.
May 24, 2007 at 11:28 pm
Bilal,
Washington Monthly published this in its September 2006 issue. Why run it now on your blog?
May 30, 2007 at 11:34 pm
i want to know the ranking of Johnsons and Wales University of RI, USA
June 11, 2007 at 3:26 pm
[...] are World Class Universities? Some months back I posted a note on the University rankings in the US. That has so far been the most visited page on this blog. Clearly, and not surprisingly, people are [...]
July 9, 2007 at 9:44 pm
hello’
i want to know the ranking of universities on the bases of computer science branch as MS?? How many universities is there in US??
Is this rank which u provide here is latest or some what older??
plz it’s urgent
reply me as early as possible.
thanks in advance
July 23, 2007 at 10:36 am
hey ,
i want a listing of the top colleges for masters in science for financial engineering
please do send me the criteria of admission also
July 26, 2007 at 11:47 am
Excuse me for saying so but this list is quite retarded. the whole purpose of university rankings is to provide prospective students with a framework on which to base their applications. How can you expect these selfsame students to prioritise their applications in such a way that universities like harvard, stanford,yale and princeton finish behind those such as Pensylvania state. Also im curious, how exactly do you calculate to what extent a university is an engine of social mobility , if u dont want to use concrete evidence such as teacher student ratio, research endowments ect at least come up with a suitable alternative. ???!ӣ$%%?????
July 29, 2007 at 10:42 am
COULD YOU PLEASE EXTEND THE LIST TILL 200.I DIDN’T FOUND IT ENOUGH.
August 4, 2007 at 3:27 am
hai im vamshi……..could u plzz tell me which place buffalo university stands??
August 9, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Hi guys I just wanna know what rank is University of Minnesota….
Thaaaaaaaaanks
August 15, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Hey, i wanna apply for engineering universities in follwing fields of engineering: Electrical, Mechanical, Aerospace, ………. So reply me soon ……
So, give me email in describing the list of these fields of engineering…………
Thanks
Bye
September 3, 2007 at 6:01 am
Hi, I have just completed my bachelor’s degree on EEE (electrical and electronic engineering).It would be helpful if the university rankings list was prepared subject wise. i.e. Engineering, EEE.
I also need details information about the facilities of getting scholarship or teacher’s assistantship, funding, living cost etc about the varsities that conduct engineering masters degree.
September 4, 2007 at 2:51 am
Hey which university is best and cheap (around $15000 ) could u suggest me 2 to 3 universities .thanks
October 12, 2007 at 5:20 pm
hi everyone
how can i get admition for MBA courses?
im studing mechanical engineering
October 15, 2007 at 3:46 am
Kindly inform me the ranking of Clemson University
October 25, 2007 at 6:05 am
Hi everyone,
I was wondering if you could give me some information about Kean University in New York especially concerning the MBA in Global Management.
Do you have any intern information, which could not be found on the web page?
How would you rank this MBA in GM?
Many trhanks
November 18, 2007 at 3:53 am
Hi everyone.
I was wondering if you could give me some information about such Universities names in New York which especially concerning the MS leading PhD Programs in Zoologycal sites; like Fisheries,Entomology,Animal Behaviour,Ethology,Cloning etc.
Do you have any intern information, which could not be found on the web page?
How would you rank this MS in Zoology?
Will you give me the information of the Universities of New York which position in the Rank list of the US universities are over 100?
Many thanks.
November 29, 2007 at 11:57 am
Hi ,
Could you please tell me the ranking of University Of North West.
It’s a bit urgent.
December 6, 2007 at 9:22 am
hi i would like to know that university of schiller international is a good university to study Msc in computer engeeneering does it got good reputation please let me know thanks
December 6, 2007 at 9:24 am
oh sorry it is based in florida and the name is schiller international university
do let me know its ranking and its reputation
December 10, 2007 at 5:08 am
Kindly anyone can help me with giving me a info about Schiler International University. Whether is a good one studying MBA from ist florida campus or not? It also says you can study and can work in limited area but doesnt say have to work in campus..says off campus too.
Kindly help mail me soon
December 10, 2007 at 5:09 am
Dinki…if u have got any info plz mail me at engupta_uttam@hotmail.com
December 19, 2007 at 4:53 am
TQ for your post.
December 31, 2007 at 5:17 am
can anyone give me information abt which university to select in US for doing MS in pharmaceutics
January 9, 2008 at 1:22 am
Hi…………………….
i wanna know which are the best universities for Physics, specifically astrophysics which contuct MS-Phd course jointly. Also the details as to what are the requirements asked in the top universities.
Thanks.
January 19, 2008 at 2:37 am
HI……….
I want to do the MS in computer science in USA so please tell me the top 10 universities for doing this. I am sending this mail from INDIA so please tell me the the rank yhat i should get in GRA to get please in that any top university and also complete detalies about them
Thanks
January 29, 2008 at 12:53 pm
I want to do MS in information technology or database in USA so please tell me the top 10 universities for doing in that. I am sending this mail from pakistan so please tell me the the marks that i should secured in GRE to get please in that any top university and also complete detailes about them.
Thanks
February 11, 2008 at 3:38 am
I am a diagnostic radiologist graduated from Tabriz university of IRAN.I have worked
for 12 years as a radiologist.I am interested in neuroradiology felloship programms in
USA .
February 12, 2008 at 10:57 am
Sir
i am student from India doing my third year BPharm.I want to do MS/PhD in pharaceutices or pharmacology in the US .Can u please mail me the list of te top 20 universities in the US offering the above courses.
Also i needed to know the GRE and TOFEL score required for admission in these universitiesand all the criteria for financial aid.my email id is a_bhembre@yahoo.co.in
Thanks
Ankit
February 18, 2008 at 10:48 am
Hi
Kindly tell me, which one is better, University of Tennessee or Montana State University for studying MS in Electrical Engineering.
February 20, 2008 at 7:35 am
univarsity of californiya,loss angels
February 21, 2008 at 6:09 am
hi
i am reaj uddin ahmed, a fourth year student of mechanical engineering from Bangladesh. i have a great desire to do my ms in USA. can any one give me some kind of information about what should i do??my email add is ahmed.reaj@gmail.com
please send me information about what university should i choice how to apply and what score is needed in gre and how to get scholarship,TA ship etc
thanks all
February 22, 2008 at 8:55 am
For MS in Electrical Engineering Which one is better, 1. MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY or 2. UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE?
March 14, 2008 at 9:25 am
hi i want yo know about the ranking of wayne state university,university of missouri rolla pls reply me as soon as
March 20, 2008 at 10:45 pm
No matter what anybody says….Princeton is #1
April 3, 2008 at 4:01 am
Can I know the rank list for following universities
:
University of Texas at Dallas
University of Texas at Arlington
Louisiana State Univ
Colorado State Univ
Wayne State Univ
University of Tennessee @ Knoxville
April 6, 2008 at 11:47 am
I would like to know the rank of the Columbia Southern University. Looking forward to recieving you reply soon
Thank you and best regards.
May 25, 2008 at 1:01 pm
what r the different fields present in engineering for doin an ms?. personally im interested in communication technology , does that come under an ms in engineering or computer science?
May 31, 2008 at 12:45 am
Hi, this is harsha from India. Can u pls inform me something about University of Stratford and University of Bridgeport. What are the possibilities of living alive there?
June 4, 2008 at 9:46 am
can u please tell me the rank of california state university,los angeles..??.
June 12, 2008 at 6:59 am
i want to know the rank of the stratford university.
and its feature and the facilities for the MBA STUDENT.
OK THANKS
June 15, 2008 at 6:33 pm
hi
can u pls tell me about the rank of California State University, Northridge.
Also pls give me some idea about master program in mechanical engineering.
Thanks
June 16, 2008 at 6:29 pm
hey dude, the university u r asking about is decent but no well known for engineering therefore i will suggest u try California state university san jose. it has a very good engineering program.
June 24, 2008 at 4:16 am
Dear friend
i want to admit my daughter in PH.D IN Medical electronics field suggest me good university. how about Nebraska university in lincoln in medical electronics/biomedical area
June 24, 2008 at 10:41 am
can any one please tell me about stratford university?