Perfect 10: Princeton again named nation’s top university by U.S. News

Princeton University was named the top school in the nation for the 10^th consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report, which released its much-anticipated annual rankings Monday morning.

New Jersey placed three schools in the Top 100 ranking for national universities, with Rutgers University-New Brunswick coming in at No. 63 (tie) and Stevens Institute of Technology listed at No. 80 (tie).

Princeton officials says they are proud to earn the honor, but this year — during such a tumultuous time — wanted to make sure everyone associated with the school is recognized for their efforts.

“We certainly appreciate recognition of Princeton’s commitment to contributing to the world through teaching and research our unsurpassed quality,” Princeton spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss said. “And we appreciate the remarkable efforts by our students, faculty and staff to continue pursuing that mission energetically, imaginatively and passionately while working to protect the health and well-being of our entire community amid the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Three other New Jersey schools placed between 100- 150, while nine in total placed in the Top 200. A look at the top New Jersey schools:

1. Princeton University;
T63. Rutgers University (New Brunswick);
T80. Stevens Institute of Technology;
T118. New Jersey Institute of Technology;
T118. Rutgers University (Newark);
T133. Seton Hall University;
T153. Rutgers University (Camden);
T176. Montclair State University;
T187. Rowan University.

The College of New Jersey was No. 5 in the rankings for the top regional universities in the North.

Click here for the complete ranking of all New Jersey schools.

Click here for the ROI Influencers: Higher Education.

There are numerous rankings for higher education, but the U.S. News rankings — the longest running of the bunch — generally are regarded as the most prestigious and gather the most attention.

Some key rankings:

National Top 10

1. Princeton;
2. Harvard University;
3. Columbia University;
T4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
T4. Yale University;
T6. Stanford University;
T6. University of Chicago;
8. University of Pennsylvania;
T9. California Institute of Technology;
T9. Johns Hopkins University;
T9. Northwestern University.

The Big Ten

Rutgers (T63) was tied with Penn State (T63) as the 8th-best school in the 14-member Big Ten, alongside:

T9. Northwestern University;
T24. University of Michigan;
T42. University of Wisconsin;
T47. University of Illinois;
T53. Ohio State University;
T53. Purdue University;
T58. University of Maryland;
T63. Rutgers;
T63. Penn State University;
T66. University of Minnesota;
T76. Indiana University;
T80. Michigan State University;
T88. University of Iowa;
T133. University of Nebraska.

Top tech schools

Stevens and NJIT both ranked among the best predominately tech schools:

T4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
T9. California Institute of Technology;
T26. Carnegie Mellon University;
T35. Georgia Tech;
T53. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute;
T66. Worcester Polytechnic Institute;
T74. Virginia Tech;
T80. Stevens;
T112. Rochester Institute of Technology;
T118. NJIT.

This year marked the 36^th year U.S. News has released its college rankings.

The organization said it ranked nearly 1,400 colleges and universities. To calculate the top schools, U.S. News said it focuses on academic quality and places emphasis on outcome measures — including graduation rates, retention rates and social mobility.

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