The US News & World Report recently published its annual list of the United States (US) University Ranking for academic year 2009.
A set of parameters and criteria are used in determining the positioning in the ranking. These include courses offered, peer review, SAT scores, student retention, selectivity of students, scholarship, financial resources, research quality, alumni giving and graduation rate performance.
Here are the top 10:
1. Harvard University
While Harvard’s worldwide reputation has been consistently formidable, this is the first time in 12 years it is ranked as the number 1 university in the US. This year, Harvard was also ranked as the third best business school in America behind Tuck of Dartmouth and Stanford University. The university is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and as many have already known, it is a proud member of the Ivy League. A center of knowledge, Harvard owns the largest academic library in the United States.
2. Princeton University
Princeton is another member of Ivy League establishment. It was first created in New Jersey in 1746, taking the name of New Jersey College before it decided to move to Princeton and duly took its current name. Princeton is one of the very few universities founded around the same time in the States that does not have an official religious affiliation. The university currently has more than 7,000 students enrolled, with more than 60% of them undergraduates, and the rest are postgraduate students.
3. Yale University
Located in Connecticut, Yale is considered the third oldest tertiary institution in the land of America. The school is prominent for its prestigious law degrees and a string of other undergraduate programs. A significant number of the US presidents and presidential candidates graduated from Yale, including George Bush (both), Bill Clinton (and his wife Hilliary), John Kerry and Howard Dean. While Princeton comes in between the two in the list, Harvard is often regarded as its bitterest rival.
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology or MIT is widely respected especially when engineering, technology and science development are concerned. It comes as a no-surprise when MIT was named as the world’s best engineering university this year, ahead of other prominent schools such as University of California (Berkeley), Stanford, Caltech, Cambridge University and Imperial College, UK. MIT houses more than 10,000 students, at one time, backed by about 1,000 faculty staff.
4. Stanford University (Tie)
Not to be outdone, Stanford recorded the same average marks to tie its position with its close competitor MIT. The university was established by the former governor of California, Leland Stanford in remembrance of their son’s demise. The university enrolls more than 10,000 students per year, comprising of both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Its relatively close proximity to the Silicon Valley gives Stanford’s students the opportunity to be exposed to best-of-the-breed technologies.
6. California Institute of Technology, CalTech
More popularly known as Caltech, California Institute of Technology is another established institution that provides strong research and exposure in engineering, science and technology. Notably, it prides itself as home to a NASA research center responsible to oversee the design, construction and operation of space probes. Until today, Caltech remains as a small and selective institution that only takes best-in-class university staff and students with tremendous academic and research caliber.
6. University of Pennsylvania (Tie)
University of Pennsylvania was founded by the famous Benjamin Franklin, a multi-talented human being and was popularly known as an avid writer, scientist, inventor, theorist, politician and statesman. Franklin is also one of the founding fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence that eventually freed America from the British rule. The university can accommodate up to 20,000 students at one time, equally divided into undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
8. Columbia University
Another member of the Ivy League, the Columbia University has its main campus located in Manhattan, New York, and hence, always referred to as the Columbia University of New York. It is also the only institution from New York city that makes it to the top ten list. Apart from being the official university that administers the Pulitzer journalism award, to date, Columbia University has produced more than 70 Nobel prize winners, a remarkable feat and achievement.
8. Duke University (Tie)
Duke University comprises a number of smaller schools – two undergraduate schools and eight graduate schools. At the same time, it offers well-known and reputable courses in medical, business and law fields. Their students come from all over the worlds, and altogether they combine to form about 12,000 students in the university. Apart from being a center of academic excellence, people recognize Duke as one of the most competitive universities in sports and athleticism.
8. University of Chicago (Tie)
University of Chicago makes the last of the three universities tied in 8th place, and ends the top ten list. The school was established by John D Rockefeller, which will be remembered as one of the wealthiest man in the history of America. Being a philantropist himself, Rockefeller realized the need to widen the reach of academic exposure for the society, hence the idea of the university establishment came about. It not only survived until today but has proven itself as one of the best universities not only in the US but also in the world.
