UW-Madison ranked 11th best public college by U.S. News & World Report

The University of Wisconsin–Madison is 11th among public institutions in U.S. News & World Report‘s latest college rankings.

Overall, UW–Madison ranks 41st in a six-way tie. Last year, UW–Madison ranked 13th among publics and 47th overall. The rankings, released today, include more than 260 national doctoral universities and will be included in the 2016 edition of America’s Best Colleges.

“Our mission is always to provide students with the top-notch education people have come to expect at UW–Madison,” says Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf. “National rankings don’t adequately portray the many factors that go into providing a high-quality educational experience, but rankings can provide students and their families with information to consider as they make decisions about where to attend college.”

The methodology used to produce the rankings was the same as last year’s. Criteria used include retention/graduation rates, academic reputation, financial resources, faculty resources and student selectivity.

The report also evaluated undergraduate engineering and business programs. For the second year in a row, the College of Engineering ranks 14th overall and for the third year in a row, it ranks seventh among public doctoral institutions.

The undergraduate program at the Wisconsin School of Business is tied for 15th overall for the second year in a row and is tied for seventh among public doctoral institutions. The insurance/risk management program is ranked fourth overall and second among public universities while the real estate program is ranked first among public institutions for the third year in a row, and second overall for the second year in a row.

The engineering and business school rankings are based solely on the judgments of business deans and senior faculty.

Additionally, U.S. News ranks UW–Madison as the 33rd Best College for Veterans.

UW-Madison has performed well in numerous recent rankings:

• Forbes Magazine ranked UW–Madison as one of its Top Colleges in the United States. The university placed 11th for the second year in a row among the best public colleges and 69th overall, up from 70th last year.
• UW-Madison was also ranked 23rd in the list of Best Value Schools by Forbes, up from 24th last year.
• The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), conducted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, ranked UW–Madison 24th for the second year in a row. It is the second-highest ranking of any Big Ten school, just behind the University of Michigan, which came in 22nd.
• Washington Monthly magazine ranked UW–Madison 19th in its annual College Guide and Rankings, based on three criteria: civic engagement, research and social mobility. Washington Monthly gives high marks to institutions that contribute to society, are affordable to attend, and enroll low-income students and help them graduate.
• For the second year in a row, the university was ranked 25th worldwide and 18th nationally by the Center for World University Rankings.