R.I. schools make U.S. News’ ‘Best’ list

PROVIDENCE – Eight Rhode Island schools made it onto the U.S. News and World Report’s 2013 Best Colleges list.
U.S. News based its 29th annual ranking, published Wednesday, on schools’ missions, programs and locations.
Among national universities, Brown University ranked No. 15 and the University of Rhode Island came in at No. 147, up from No. 160 on last year’s list. The national list is topped by Harvard, Princeton and Yale.
On the regional universities list for the North – those that have a full range of undergraduate programs, some master’s but few doctoral programs – were six local institutions.
Providence College tied at No. 4 with Waltham, Mass.-based Bentley University, behind front-runners Villanova University in Pennsylvania, Fairfield University in Connecticut, and Loyola University Maryland.
Bryant University ranked No. 15 on the regional list, Salve Regina University, No. 38, Roger Williams University, No. 55, Johnson and Wales University ranked No. 98, and Rhode Island College, No. 115.
The Rhode Island School of Design came in at No. 2 in the list of Fine Arts schools. And the New England Institute of Technology was unranked on the list of regional colleges in the North.
Nearby University of Massachusetts Dartmouth took the No. 79 spot on the regional universities (North) list. Wheaton College in Norton took the No. 60 spot on the National Liberal Arts Colleges ranking while Stonehill College in Easton came in at No. 100.
U.S. News has ranked schools since 1983 based on data such as graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, financial resources, student selectivity and alumni giving. Also playing a part in the calculations is a reputation survey that the magazine sends to top college officials.
School officials have criticized the lists as arbitrary and incomplete, but they remain influential.

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