Princeton University was ranked as the top school in the country for the 11th consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report, which released is 2021 rankings Monday morning.
New Jersey placed two other universities in the Top 100: Rutgers University-New Brunswick tied with four others at No. 63; Stevens Institute of Technology tied with nine others at No. 83.
New Jersey Institute of Technology finished just outside the Top 100, as it tied with 13 others at No. 103.
While there are seemingly dozens of publications and organizations that rank universities, U.S. News & World Report is considered the gold standard. This is the 33rd year of the U.S. News rankings.
Ben Chang, deputy vice president for communications at Princeton, said the school is honored by the recognition.
“We are always grateful when the university is recognized for the steadfast pursuit of its goal to be a world-class research institution with a distinctive commitment to teaching at the undergraduate and graduate level,” he said. “As we fully resume the in-person teaching, research and scholarship that are the heart of Princeton’s educational mission, we are reminded of the tremendous opportunities our students, faculty and broader university community have to be of service and make a profound impact on the world around us.”
U.S. News ranked nearly 1,500 colleges and universities this year. Its editors said they measured academic quality using 17 metrics, with the most weight placed on outcomes, including not only the ability of a college to retain and graduate its students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, but also their graduates’ average indebtedness. Class size, undergraduate academic reputation and how much colleges invest in instruction and student services are among the other data points that were used.
Schools are ranked separately by categories, including:
- National universities: Institutions that are often research-oriented and offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees;
- National liberal arts colleges: Schools that emphasize undergraduate education and award half or more of their degrees across liberal arts fields;
- Regional colleges and universities: Schools that offer bachelor’s degrees, some master’s programs and limited options at the doctoral level. (Those schools are divided by region, too.)
Here’s a look at the Top 10 national universities:
No. 1: Princeton
No. 2 (tie): Columbia University
No. 2 (tie): Harvard University
No. 2 (tie): Massachusetts Institute of Technology
No. 5: Yale University
No. 6 (tie): Stanford University
No. 6 (tie): University of Chicago
No. 8: University of Pennsylvania
No. 9 (tie): California Institute of Technology
No. 9 (tie): Duke University
No. 9 (tie): Johns Hopkins University
No. 9 (tie): Northwestern University
Here’s a look at how New Jersey schools fared on the national universities list:
No. 1: Princeton
No. 63 (tie): Rutgers-New Brunswick
No. 83 (tie): Stevens
No. 103 (tie): NJIT
No. 127 (tie): Rutgers-Newark
No. 127 (tie): Seton Hall University
No. 148 (tie): Rutgers-Camden
No. 179 (tie): Montclair State University
No. 179 (tie): Rowan University
Here’s a look at how New Jersey schools fared on the regional universities (North) list:
No. 6: The College of New Jersey
No. 18 (tie): Monmouth University
No. 27 (tie): Rider University
No. 34 (tie): Stockton University
No. 44 (tie): Fairleigh Dickinson University
No. 58 (tie): Saint Peter’s University
No. 82 (tie): Caldwell University
No. 90 (tie): William Paterson University
No. 109 (tie): Centenary University
No. 109 (tie): Georgian Court University
No. 114 (tie): Saint Elizabeth University
No. 126 (tie): Kean University
For a complete look at all of the rankings, click here.
