Emory fell to No. 21 from No. 20 in the 2018 U.S. News & World Report’s (USNWR) “Best Colleges” ranking for national universities. This is the second time Emory has lost its top-20 position since 1994. Emory was last ranked No. 21 in 2014 and 2015.
Colleges and universities in the same category are ranked based on a composite weighted score of 15 indicators of “academic excellence,” including graduation and retention rates, undergraduate academic reputation, faculty resources and student selectivity, according to the USNWR website. Graduation and retention rates and undergraduate academic reputation are weighted most heavily, followed by faculty resources, according to USNWR.
Emory is tied at No. 21 with University of Southern California, University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Los Angeles. Georgetown University (D.C.) holds the No. 20 position.
Emory maintained its No. 17 position among national universities offering the “best value” to students. The ranking considers academic quality and average level of need-based financial aid issued by the university.
Goizueta Business School remains No. 15 in the undergraduate business rankings. The ranking is determined by a peer survey of deans and senior faculty members, according to the press release.
Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Dwight A. McBride did not express concern at the drop in ranking.
“Emory’s students are drawn to the university’s combination of groundbreaking research and academic excellence in the liberal arts,” McBride said in a Sept. 12 Emory press release. “While external recognition is gratifying, we continue to be most inspired by our community of students, faculty, scholars, and researchers who are creating and applying knowledge in the service of humanity.”
Last year, Emory was tied at No. 20 with Georgetown University (D.C.) and University of California at Berkeley.
UPDATE (9/12/17 at 12:03 a.m.): This article has been updated to reflect Georgetown University’s current position and the schools tied at No. 21.
