Vanderbilt University has retained its No. 14 spot on U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges latest rankings. The magazine also named Vanderbilt as one of the “best values” among national universities, ranking it seventh in the nation, up five spots from last year.
“Vanderbilt’s commitment to making a world-class education available to the nation’s most talented students regardless of economic need has never been stronger,” said Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos. “Put together, these rankings recognize that academic excellence and affordability can—and must—go hand in hand.”
The Best Value ranking considers both the university’s academic quality and the cost of attendance for students receiving need-based aid. The Opportunity Vanderbilt financial aid program meets 100 percent of eligible students’ demonstrated need without loans.
The university also rose three spots to No. 12 in the High School Counselors rankings, a key measure of the perception of the university’s value to students.
“A distinctive interdisciplinary research environment and residential college experience, coupled with barrier-breaking financial aid, are among the chief hallmarks of a Vanderbilt education.”
“A distinctive interdisciplinary research environment and residential college experience, coupled with barrier-breaking financial aid, are among the chief hallmarks of a Vanderbilt education,” said Susan R. Wente, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “The quality of the students that choose Vanderbilt, which is reflected by these rankings, affirm the impact of our approach.”
Vanderbilt is tied with Brown University for the No. 14 spot. The university first achieved the No. 14 ranking last year, tied with Brown, Cornell University and Rice University, after holding at No. 15 the two previous years. The university ranked No. 18 when Zeppos was named chancellor in 2008 and has risen steadily in the decade since.
The Best Colleges ranking is derived from 16 measures of academic quality, including first-year student retention, graduation rates and the strength of the faculty, as well as peer universities’ and high school counselors’ assessments. This year’s rankings are based on 2017 data.
Other rankings this year:
- In addition to the Best Value ranking, Vanderbilt was included in an unranked list of the 26 most economically diverse national universities, noting that 14 percent of its undergraduates benefit from Pell Grants, the highest percentage in the university’s history.
- In the Undergraduate Teaching category, a ranking by peers of schools with strong commitments to undergraduate education, Vanderbilt placed 20th.