UW-Madison ranked 10th on U.S. News & World Report's list of the top public colleges nationwide for 2012 Tuesday.
UW-Madison tied with University of Washington and University of California—Santa Barbara for tenth place.
Claiming the top spot is University of California—Berkeley. University of California—Los Angeles and University of Virginia tied for second.
Provost Paul M. DeLuca, Jr. said while university officials are proud of the ranking, there is still room for improvement.
""These rankings especially affirm the quality of undergraduate experience we offer here,"" DeLuca said in an official statement. ""However, they also indicate improvements that could be made.""
The rankings were based on recommendations from other universities, high school counselors' ratings, student selectivity, faculty resources, financial resources, graduation and retention rates, and alumni donations.
Amherst College, where former Chancellor Biddy Martin now serves as President, took second to Williams College for the top national liberal arts colleges' rankings.
