The University of Wyoming has moved into the first tier of ranked national universities listed in the 2011 edition of Best Colleges by U.S. News Media Group.
UW ranks 153rd among all national universities, and ranks 81st among public colleges.
During the past two decades, the U.S. News college rankings have grouped schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The rankings, which include rating more than 1,400 schools nationwide, are divided into different categories.
UW is included in the National Universities category, which consists of the 262 institutions (164 public and 98 private) that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as master's and doctoral degrees; some emphasize research. UW ties with the University of Idaho on the public colleges ranking; and also ties with both Idaho and the Polytechnic Institute of New York University in the overall national rankings.
The 2011 Best Colleges feature the established rankings of the Best National Universities and Best National Liberal Arts Colleges, while also including rankings of A+ Schools for B Students, Great Schools at Great Prices, and Up-and-Coming Schools, among others.
The 2011 Best Colleges for National Universities consideration provides the most thorough examination of how the accredited four-year schools compare on a set of up to 16 widely accepted indicators of excellence. Among the many factors weighed in determining the rankings, the key measures of quality are: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.
Data on up to 16 indicators of academic quality are gathered from each institution
and tabulated. Schools are ranked in categories by their total weighted score.
The entire rankings are available at www.usnews.com/colleges and also will be published in the September issue of UW. News and World Report, on
newsstands starting Aug. 31.
