SMU rises in U.S. News & World Report’s ‘Best Colleges’

DALLAS (SMU) – SMU rose in the ranks of the nation’s top universities in the 2015 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges, which was published online today.

Among 280 institutions classified as national universities, SMU ranks 58, up from 60 a year ago. The ranking again places SMU in the first tier of institutions in the guide’s “best national universities” category.

In Texas, only Rice University at 19 and the University of Texas-Austin at 53 ranked ahead of SMU. Among private national universities, SMU ranks 40. 

“It is gratifying for SMU to be noted for its positive movement among the best national universities in this ranking,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “We appreciate external recognition of our progress, but we also know that rankings do not portray the whole picture of an institution and its strengths. We encourage parents and students to visit the institutions they are considering for a firsthand look at academic offerings, the campus environment and campus and total student experience.”

The factors weighed in determining the rankings include measures of academic quality, such as peer assessment scores and ratings by high school counselors; graduation and retention rates; faculty resources; student selectivity; financial resources; and alumni giving.

Rankings of nearly 1,600 institutions – including national universities, liberal arts colleges and regional universities and colleges – are posted online at www.usnews.com/colleges. They will be published in the U.S. News & World Report issue available on newsstands September 23.

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SMU is a nationally ranked private university in Dallas founded 100 years ago. Today, SMU enrolls nearly 11,000 students who benefit from the academic opportunities and international reach of seven degree-granting schools. For more information see www.smu.edu.