U.S. News Best Colleges Rankings 1983-2013

September 12, 2012 • Commentary • by

Harvard University, this year’s top ranked college

“Why does U.S. News rank colleges and universities?” U.S. News asks on its website. “It’s a controversial question with a simple answer: We do it to help you make one of the most important decisions of your life,” with a recommendation that you “Don’t rely solely on rankings to choose a college.” By U.S. News’s logic, their ranking, however problematic in methodology, sifts an overwhelming amount of information down into a usable list from which students can begin their college search. Oh—and that annual list brings in a lot of money. Within 3 days of the rankings being released in 2007, the rankings received 10 million page views, compared to around 500,000 in a regular month [1]. Why we care so much about these numbers, I can’t say, but they unfortunately do matter. Studies have shown that a college’s current rank influences the number of applicants it receives in the coming admissions cycle, and thus the caliber of its class [2].

Below you’ll find the 2013 ranking with others included for comparison. Remember that this one ranking isn’t everything. That’s why we included three well-cited rankings, the selectivity of the most recent entering class (2016), and other important numbers side-by-side for your judging pleasure. The U.S. News ranking is based primarily on national reputation, wealth and selectivity; the Forbes ranking on value, quality, and student outcomes; and the QS World University ranking on research output and international reputation. Included for historical comparison are an early ranking of U.S. colleges by Cattell in 1910, the first U.S. News rankings from 1983, and those from 2006.

Per commenter request, I have added three rankings: the Times Higher Education World University Rankings; the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU); and the Parchment Rankings, a ranking of which colleges admitted students most prefer to attend.

Nobel Prizes per institution has been corrected thanks to one reader’s research. The correct number places the University of Chicago first with 87 Laureates and Columbia second with 86.

National University Rankings 2013

1. Harvard University

 
 

U.S. News 2012: 1
U.S. News 2006: 1
U.S. News 1983: 2
Cattell 1910: 1
Forbes 2012: 6
Parchment 2013: 1
QS World 2012: 3
Times 2012: 2
ARWU 2012: 1
Acceptance rate: 5.9%
Undergraduate enrollment: 6,657
2011 Endowment: $31.728 billion
Founded: 1636
Nobel Prizes: 46
 

1. Princeton University

 

U.S. News 2012: 1
U.S. News 2006: 1
U.S. News 1983: 4
Cattell 1910: 17
Forbes 2012: 1
Parchment 2013: 5
QS World 2012: 9
Times 2012: 5
ARWU 2012: 7
Acceptance rate: 7.9%
Undergraduate enrollment: 5,249
2011 Endowment: $17.110 billion
Founded: 1746
Nobel Prizes: 35
 

3. Yale University

 

U.S. News 2012: 3
U.S. News 2006: 3
U.S. News 1983: 3
Cattell 1910: 4
Forbes 2012: 5
Parchment 2013: 3
QS World 2012: 7
Times 2012: 11
ARWU 2012: 11
Acceptance rate: 6.8%
Undergraduate enrollment: 5,349
2011 Endowment: $19.374 billion
Founded: 1701
Nobel Prizes: 49
 

4. Columbia University

 

U.S. News 2012: 4
U.S. News 2006: 9
U.S. News 1983: 15
Cattell 1910: 3
Forbes 2012: 8
Parchment 2013: 21
QS World 2012: 11
Times 2012: 12
ARWU 2012: 8
Acceptance rate: 7.4%
Undergraduate enrollment: 6,027
2011 Endowment: $7.790 billion
Founded: 1754
Nobel Prizes: 86
 

4. The University of Chicago

 

U.S. News 2012: 5
U.S. News 2006: 15
U.S. News 1983: 6
Cattell 1910: 2
Forbes 2012: 4
Parchment 2013: 6
QS World 2012: 8
Times 2012: 9
ARWU 2012: 9
Acceptance rate: 13.2%
Undergraduate enrollment: 5,388
2011 Endowment: $6.575 billion
Founded: 1891
Nobel Prizes: 87
 

6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

 

U.S. News 2012: 5
U.S. News 2006: 7
U.S. News 1983: 10
Cattell 1910: 10
Forbes 2012: 11
Parchment 2013: 4
QS World 2012: 1
Times 2012: 7
ARWU 2012: 3
Acceptance rate: 8.9%
Undergraduate enrollment: 4,384
2011 Endowment: $9.713 billion
Founded: 1865
Nobel Prizes: 78
 

6. Stanford University

 

U.S. News 2012: 5
U.S. News 2006: 5
U.S. News 1983: 1
Cattell 1910: 12
Forbes 2012: 3
Parchment 2013: 2
QS World 2012: 15
Times 2012: 2
ARWU 2012: 2
Acceptance rate: 6.6%
Undergraduate enrollment: 6,988
2011 Endowment: $16.503 billion
Founded: 1891
Nobel Prizes: 55
 

8. Duke University

 

U.S. News 2012: 10
U.S. News 2006: 5
U.S. News 1983: not ranked
Cattell 1910: not ranked
Forbes 2012: 24
Parchment 2013: 12
QS World 2012: 20
Times 2012: 22
ARWU 2012: 36
Acceptance rate: 11.9%
Undergraduate enrollment: 6,680
2011 Endowment: $5.747 billion
Founded: 1838
Nobel Prizes: 12
 

8. The University of Pennsylvania

 

U.S. News 2012: 5
U.S. News 2006: 4
U.S. News 1983: not ranked
Cattell 1910: 17
Forbes 2012: 17
Parchment 2013: 17
QS World 2012: 12
Times 2012: 16
ARWU 2012: 14
Acceptance rate: 12.3%
Undergraduate enrollment: 9,779
2011 Endowment: $6.582 billion
Founded: 1740
Nobel Prizes: 28
 

10. The California Institute of Technology

 

U.S. News 2012: 5
U.S. News 2006: 7
U.S. News 1983: not ranked
Cattell 1910: not ranked
Forbes 2012: 18
Parchment 2013: 8
QS World 2012: 10
Times 2012: 1
ARWU 2012: 6
Acceptance rate: 13.0%
Undergraduate enrollment: 978
2011 Endowment: $1.772 billion
Founded: 1891
Nobel Prizes: 32
 

10. Dartmouth College

 

U.S. News 2012: 11
U.S. News 2006: 9
U.S. News 1983: 10
Cattell 1910: 36
Forbes 2012: 34
Parchment 2013: 25
QS World 2012: 113
Times 2012: 90
ARWU 2012: 151-200
Acceptance rate: 9.4%
Undergraduate enrollment: 4,194
2011 Endowment: $3.413 billion
Founded: 1769
Nobel Prizes: 3
 

12. Northwestern University

 

U.S. News 2012: 12
U.S. News 2006: 12
U.S. News 1983: not ranked
Cattell 1910: 32
Forbes 2012: 22
Parchment 2013: 37
QS World 2012: 27
Times 2012: 26
ARWU 2012: 30
Acceptance rate: 15.3%
Undergraduate enrollment: 8,475
2011 Endowment: $7.183 billion
Founded: 1851
Nobel Prizes: 8
 

13. The Johns Hopkins University

 

U.S. News 2012: 13
U.S. News 2006: 13
U.S. News 1983: not ranked
Cattell 1910: 6
Forbes 2012: 67
Parchment 2013: 38
QS World 2012: 16
Times 2012: 14
ARWU 2012: 17
Acceptance rate: 17.7%
Undergraduate enrollment: 5,980
2011 Endowment: $2.598 billion
Founded: 1876
Nobel Prizes: 36
 

14. Washington University in St. Louis

 

U.S. News 2012: 14
U.S. News 2006: 11
U.S. News 1983: not ranked
Cattell 1910: 37
Forbes 2012: 71
Parchment 2013: 50
QS World 2012: 84
Times 2012: 41
ARWU 2012: 31
Acceptance rate: 15.4%
Undergraduate enrollment: 7,239
2011 Endowment: $5.280 billion
Founded: 1853
Nobel Prizes: 22
 

15. Brown University

 

U.S. News 2012: 15
U.S. News 2006: 15
U.S. News 1983: 15
Cattell 1910: 29
Forbes 2012: 19
Parchment 2013: 7
QS World 2012: 42
Times 2012: 49
ARWU 2012: 65
Acceptance rate: 9.6%
Undergraduate enrollment: 6,380
2011 Endowment: $2.497 billion
Founded: 1764
Nobel Prizes: 7
 

15. Cornell University

 

U.S. News 2012: 15
U.S. News 2006: 13
U.S. News 1983: 8
Cattell 1910: 5
Forbes 2012: 51
Parchment 2013: 22
QS World 2012: 14
Times 2012: 20
ARWU 2012: 13
Acceptance rate: 16.2%
Undergraduate enrollment: 14,167
2011 Endowment: $5.059 billion
Founded: 1865
Nobel Prizes: 41
 

17. Rice University

 

U.S. News 2012: 17
U.S. News 2006: 17
U.S. News 1983: 15
Cattell 1910: not ranked
Forbes 2012: 37
Parchment 2013: 30
QS World 2012: 120
Times 2012: 72
ARWU 2012: 91
Acceptance rate: 17%
Undergraduate enrollment: 3,775
2011 Endowment: $4.451 billion
Founded: 1912
Nobel Prizes: 3
 

17. The University of Notre Dame

 

U.S. News 2012: 19
U.S. News 2006: 18
U.S. News 1983: not ranked
Cattell 1910: not ranked
Forbes 2012: 12
Parchment 2013: 27
QS World 2012: 235
Times 2012: 89
ARWU 2012: 201-300
Acceptance rate: 22.7%
Undergraduate enrollment: 8,452
2011 Endowment: $6.260 billion
Founded: 1842
Nobel Prizes: 2
 

19. Vanderbilt University

 

U.S. News 2012: 17
U.S. News 2006: 18
U.S. News 1983: not ranked
Cattell 1910: not ranked
Forbes 2012: 33
Parchment 2013: 29
QS World 2012: 167
Times 2012: 70
ARWU 2012: 50
Acceptance rate: 13.3%
Undergraduate enrollment: 6,817
2011 Endowment: $3.415 billion
Founded: 1873
Nobel Prizes: 7
 

20. Emory University

 

U.S. News 2012: 20
U.S. News 2006: 20
U.S. News 1983: not ranked
Cattell 1910: not ranked
Forbes 2012: 46
Parchment 2013: 103
QS World 2012: 122
Times 2012: 75
ARWU 2012: 101-150
Acceptance rate: 26%
Undergraduate enrollment: 7,441
2011 Endowment: $5.400 billion
Founded: 1836
Nobel Prizes: 2
 

Complete rankings from U.S. News

Archive of U.S. News Best Colleges Rankings 1983-2007

National Liberal Arts College Rankings 2013

1. Williams College

2. Amherst College

3. Swarthmore College

4. Middlebury College

4. Pomona College

6. Bowdoin College

6. Wellesley College

8. Carleton College

9. Haverford College

10. Claremont McKenna College

Complete rankings from U.S. News

U.S. News Rankings Methodology

Undergraduate academic reputation (22.5%) – Peer assessment survey completed by college students, high school counselor survey

Faculty resources (20%) – Student/faculty ratio, average class size, faculty compensation, % of faculty with a terminal degree in their field, % of faculty that is full time

Graduation and retention rates (20%) – Average graduation rate, average freshman retention rate

Student selectivity (15%) – Acceptance rate, average ACT and SAT scores, high school class standing in top 10% and 25%

Financial resources (10%) – Expenditures per student

Graduation rate performance (7.5%) – The difference between the actual six-year graduation rate for students and the predicted graduation rate

Alumni giving (5%) – Average alumni giving rate

Rankings Attribution

Best Colleges Rankings 2013, U.S. News & World Report

America’s Top Colleges 2012, Forbes

Parchment Top Choice College Rankings 2013

QS World University Rankings 2012

Times Higher Education Rankings 2011-2012

Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2012

Cattell Rankings 1910

Wikipedia: Nobel Prizes and Endowment

[1] “Putting a Curious Eye on a High School Ranking System,” The New York Times

[2] “The Impact of U.S. News & World ReportCollege Rankings on Admissions
Outcomes and Pricing Policies at Selective Private Institutions,” James Monks and Ronald G. Ehrenberg

Cover image via WordPress

  • David

    The standard for claim  Nobel prize winners is totally different from school to school. Remember only three schools produced more than 30 winners from its own graduates, these schools are Harvard 40-50, Columbia 38,  and Chicago 30. .MIT produced 29,  while Stanford produced 7……..

  • http://www.hrms.com/ Chris_B

    This is a wonderful effort and provides a decent framework. But since ranking is primarily national and international prestige based, I would like you guys to also include Shanghai(ARWU) and Times Higher Education ranking as well, QS is no better than the other two. Another one that is really helpful is the parchment ranking, in my opinion, that is most helpful, becasue it shows what students have actually chosen when given a choice. With all of these data in one site, I think your site will be a really helpful place for prospective college students.

    • Jon Catlin

      Thanks, Chris_B. We have upgraded our article to include more rankings.

      • http://www.hrms.com/ Chris_B

        Jon Catlin Chris_B Wonderful. The Cattell ranking is very interesting. Could you review it a bit closely? I thought I saw Stanford ranked at 12, UPenn at 15 and Princeton at 17.

        • Jon Catlin

          Chris_B Jon Catlin Thanks again for your comment. As you noted, the typed 1910 rankings did not match the original list from the document. I have updated the page based on the orignal document.

Commentary Ticker

  • Irony In Stone: Ancient Greek Statues Dressed as Modern Hipsters
    June 19, 2013 | 9:40 am

    After a day spent wandering around the Louvre in Paris, France, studying the idyllic nude bodies of ancient Greek statues, photographer Léo Caillard got to wondering about the nature of clothing. Each of the statues represented the maximization of human perfection—the human body taken to the extreme. But most people don’t have the ideal Greek [...]

  • When in Rome… Make Better Concrete: How An Ancient Mix Beats Today’s Best
    June 18, 2013 | 10:40 pm

    From the Hoover Dam and the Burj Khalifa to the Panama Canal, concrete underlies the greatest of modern architectural achievements. But modern concrete, it seems, doesn’t hold a candle to Ancient Rome’s. A little history for you: the Romans were the first to engineer concrete in mass, and it was upon this concrete that they [...]

  • Google Wants Balloon Internet for Everybody
    June 15, 2013 | 11:06 am

    “Balloons. That’s right. Balloons,” says the voice of a young girl in a video for Google’s latest endeavor: bringing the world online with massive balloons. The initiative, called Project Loon, comes from Google X, the experimental lab within the company whose sole purpose is to dream up big, borderline insane, ideas. Google X created self-driving [...]

  • Watch Researchers Discover a Sunken Egyptian City
    June 13, 2013 | 9:36 pm

    Thonis, the legendary port city that served as an entryway to the Egyptian empire, was long considered to be a myth. The tales of its immense power and vast riches conflicted with the evidence of its existence—mainly that there was none. Cities of such grandeur do not typically disappear off the face of the earth. [...]

  • “I Am The Nucleus” and Other Bizarre Quotes By Kanye West
    June 12, 2013 | 10:06 am

    Kanye West says the darndest things. On his unrelenting quest to become his own species of hip-hop artist, he has established a reputation as irreverent, controversial, and unapologetic. Though he makes time for public grandstanding by claiming a US President “doesn’t care about black people” or interrupting the VMAs, he remains mostly quiet when it [...]

  • RSSArchive for Commentary Ticker »

Trending on The Airspace