UW-Madison is among the top public universities in the nation, according to new rankings from U.S. News and World Report, but it dropped two spots from last year.
The university ranks 12th among public colleges, tied with the University of California-Davis, and 46th among all colleges in the nation. Last year, UW-Madison ranked 10th among public universities and 44th overall.
U.S. News and World Report uses graduation rate, first-year student retention rate, admissions data and a number of other factors to determine rankings.
Among public Big Ten schools, only the University of Michigan ranks higher than UW-Madison, placing fourth. Illinois and Penn State, tied for 14th, Ohio State, at 16th, and Purdue, at 18th, round out the six Big Ten public universities in the top 20. The University of Nebraska ranks well behind all other Big Ten schools, at 58th.
The University of California-Berkeley and UCLA tied for the top spot among public schools. Princeton took the number one overall ranking.
Despite the drop in the rankings, UW-Madison Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf said the university is “proud of the education and Wisconsin Experience we offer students,” and touted that the school’s “faculty and staff are among the best in the world."
UW-Madison’s ranking in one of its best categories, “Strong Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching,” remained the same as last year, at 14th overall and 6th among public schools.
UPDATE Sept. 12 10:42 p.m.: This post was updated to add clarifying information.
