UMass improves college rankings to 91 in the nation.
AMHERST - The University of Massachusetts is now ranked the 91st best university in the nation out of 281 in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings, improving from 97th last year.
UMass is also ranked 40th up from 42nd last year when it comes to the ranking of public universities, said spokesman Daniel Fitzgibbons.
The latest rankings were released Tuesday.
Amherst College, meanwhile, is ranked second nationally among 248 liberal arts colleges, just behind Williams College in Williamstown, the same order as last year. Smith College in Northampton ranks 20th and Mount Holyoke in South Hadley 38th in the category. Hampshire College comes in at 110.
The number of colleges and universities used in the ranking system vary by category.
U.S. News compiles the rankings to help families concerned with “finding the best academic value for their money.” And it offers myriad information about the particular school including information about tuition and student enrollment.
When it comes to ranking universities, “the U.S. News ranking system rests on two pillars. The formula uses quantitative measures that education experts have proposed as reliable indicators of academic quality, and it's based on our researched view of what matters in education,” according to the magazine.
The magazine also changed its methodology this year in the ranking for universities, reducing the weight it assigned to high school class standing of newly enrolled students and expanding the importance of graduation rates.
Princeton University, meanwhile, was rated the top university in the nation with Harvard University coming in second.
Bard College in Great Barrington came in at number 11 in the regional college category north with College of Our Lady of the Elms in Chicopee 17th in that category. There were 367 regional colleges in total, but the number in the north category was not available.
In the regional universities north ranking, Springfield College came in 37th with Western New England University 60th and Westfield State University ranked 123rd. The rank of American International College in Springfield was not published.
There were 621 regional universities in total. The number in the north category was not available. Regional universities ranked 135 and above are in tier one.
“We are always delighted when outside groups recognize Springfield College,” said Springfield College Vice President for Academic Affairs Jean Wyld in a statement. “It is affirmation that Springfield College is positioned to continue to provide students with a first-rate education and essential leadership skills needed to thrive in today’s highly competitive, global economy.”
Said Evan S. Dobelle, president, Westfield State University in a statement in response to the rankings, "Over the last five years, Westfield State has accomplished game changing success. The investments we have made in faculty recruitment and development, expanded programs like our international exchange, and support services for veterans and students with learning disabilities has yielded substantial dividends ..."