W&M ranks among the nation’s best

by staff | September 12, 2017

The latest college rankings are out, and William & Mary has once again been counted among the best universities in the country.

For the 19^th consecutive year, the university has been ranked sixth among public national universities by U.S. News and World Report, according to its annual college guide released today. Overall, William & Mary is ranked 32^nd among national universities, tied with Boston College.

In addition, the university is ranked seventh for undergraduate teaching, up from 12^th last year, and 12^th among the best colleges for veterans, up from 19^th last year and 28^th two years ago. W&M is also tied for 35^th in a ranking by high-school counselors, and the university’s undergraduate business program is tied for 42^nd.

Also in the U.S. News report, W&M is the top-ranked public institution for alumni giving among leading universities, coming in at 18^th overall among all national universities (including privates). The alumni giving category is based on a two-year average from fiscal years 2015 and 2016. The university ranked 20^th last year and is expected to continue to climb as the percentage of alumni giving increases as part of the For the Bold campaign.

William & Mary also did well in the latest college rankings from Princeton Review, released in August. The university is included in its Best 382 Colleges guide, which does not rank schools overall. However, the book includes multiple top 20 lists, and W&M appears on 12 of them.

The university is ranked third among schools with the most interactions between people of different races and classes. W&M is also ranked on the following lists:

5^th: Happiest Students
5^th: Their Students Love These Colleges
7^th: Most Engaged in Community Service
8^th: Most Popular Study Abroad Program
10^th: Most Beautiful Campus
13^th: Best College Library
13^th: Best Quality of Life
14^th: Best Science Lab Facilities
14^th: LGBTQ-Friendly
16^th: Most Active Student Government
18^th: Colleges That Pay You Back Without Aid

W&M is also included in the latest iteration of Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges” rankings, coming in at 10^th among public colleges and 58^th overall. W&M is ranked 30^th among research universities in that report.

In Money’s recently released list of “711 Best Colleges for Your Money,” which takes into account educational quality, affordability and alumni success, W&M is ranked 76^th.

In May, The New York Times counted W&M among the “Top Colleges Doing the Most for the American Dream” in its third annual College Access Index, which is based on graduation rates and college costs for low- and middle-income students. W&M is ranked 57^th on that list, which only included colleges with a five-year graduation rate of at least 75 percent.

Heterodox Academy, an association of professors and graduate students who value a diversity of viewpoints, released its own college rankings in June. In its list of the top 150 U.S. universities, W&M has the second-highest score, tied with George Mason University and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. The scores are based on each school’s FIRE rating, Intercollegiate Studies Institute and events that are determined to reveal a commitment to free speech.

Fiske also counted W&M among the country’s best in its latest annual guide to colleges, which does not rank the more than 300 schools included.

In addition to college rankings, W&M’s hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia, received attention recently when it was named among the top 15 cities in the United States by Travel + Leisure.