p. The College is the 33rd best doctoral-granting university in the country, according to the 2008 U.S. News & World report rankings, released Aug. 20. The College fell from its previous ranking of 31, a position it had held for the past four years.
p. Taking the College’s place at 31 this year are two universities — Brandeis University, which shared the position with the College last year, and Lehigh University, which was ranked 33 last year.
p. College President Gene Nichol welcomed the new rankings.
p. “We’re pleased that U.S. News continues to recognize William and Mary as one of the nation’s very best universities,” Nichol said to William and Mary News. “While rankings can never capture the enthusiasm and talent of our students, faculty and staff, or the dedication and pride of our alumni, they remind us all that this great College is a national treasure. They remind, too, that we must always strive for excellence, opportunity and greater financial support for our College.”
p. The College did improve in some aspects of the annual rankings — its financial resources ranked 106th this year, up from 111th last year. The College’s financial resources ranking has steadily improved over the past few years, but it is still the worst showing for any of the top 50 national universities. The College recently completed its seven-year $500 million fundraising campaign, raising more than $517 million.
p. The College took a hit in its peer score – the most heavily weighted factor. After years of having a peer score of 3.8 out of 5.0, the College dipped to a 3.7 score this year.
p. Princeton University tops the list for the eighth year in a row. Princeton is followed by second-ranked Harvard University and third-ranked Yale University.
p. The College remains the sixth-highest-ranked public university in the country, falling behind 21st-ranked University of California — Berkeley, 23rd-ranked University of Virginia, 25th-ranked University of California Los Angeles and University of Michigan and 28th-ranked University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill, but ahead of 35th-ranked Georgia Institute of Technology.
p. The College’s best showing in the annual rankings came in 1988 when it was ranked 22. In 1996, the College received its lowest ranking of 34. The College was ranked 33 two times previously — in 1997 and 1999.
p. The rankings are available as part of U.S. News & World Report’s annual “America’s Best Colleges” guide.
