PROVIDENCE – For the fourth consecutive year, Brown University has been ranked No. 14 out of all the universities across the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges rankings released Monday.
Brown is the highest-ranked college in the National Universities category out of all the colleges based in Rhode Island and Bristol County, Mass. The Ivy League university was also ranked No. 4 for best undergraduate teaching, a drop from No. 1 last year.
National universities were defined as schools that offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and Ph.D. programs.
Providence College returned to ranking No. 1 among regional universities in the North after dropping down to second one year prior. PC also topped the North region for undergraduate teaching.
Regional universities were defined as colleges that focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. Regional universities were ranked among schools in their respective region, rather than nationally. The report has four geographic regions for rankings: North, South, Midwest and West.
Bryant University in Smithfield ranked No. 7 in the North region for universities, unchanged from the previous year.
Salve Regina University in Newport and Roger Williams University in Bristol, both of which were part of a tie for No. 31 among regional universities in the North last year, saw their rankings improve this year. Salve ranked No. 23 this year, while RWU ranked No. 27.
Johnson & Wales University improved its ranking slightly in the regional universities within the North region, rising from No. 96 last year to No. 94, tied with two other colleges.
Rhode Island College’s ranking dropped from No. 113 last year in the North to a tie with three other schools at No. 119.
The University of Rhode Island is in a three-way tie with the University of Hawaii Manoa and the University of Maryland Baltimore County for No. 162 among national universities this year. The university ranked No. 170 last year. This year, URI ended a three-year streak where its national ranking had decreased.
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is among 12 other national universities tied at No. 227, according to the report.
Princeton University, Columbia University and Harvard University were respectively ranked the top-three colleges across the nation for 2022 by U.S. News. The outlet evaluated more than 1,400 colleges and universities on up to 17 measures of academic quality in its 37th year of producing the rankings.
A breakdown of regional colleges and universities and their top rankings in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best College Survey:
Brown University
(Each of the following rankings are in the National Universities category)
- 14 – National Universities
- 4 – Best Undergraduate Teaching
- 19 – Best Value Schools
- 23 – Undergraduate Computer Science Programs (tie)
- 29 – Most Innovative Schools (tie)
- 36 – Undergraduate Engineering Programs (At schools whose highest degree is a doctorate) (tie)
Bryant University
(Each of the following rankings are in the Regional Universities North category)
- 7 – Regional Universities North
- 10 – Most Innovative Schools (tie)
- 20 – Best Undergraduate International Business Programs
- 66 – Best Value Schools
- 212 – Undergraduate Business Programs (tie)
Johnson & Wales University
(Each of the following rankings are in the Regional Universities North category)
- 94 – Regional Universities North (tie)
- 66 – Top Performers on Social Mobility (tie)
New England Institute of Technology
Unranked in regional colleges
Providence College
(Each of the following rankings are in the Regional Universities North category)
- 1 – Regional Universities North
- 1 – Best Undergraduate Teaching
- 3 – Most Innovative Schools (tie)
- 12 – Best Value Schools
- 142 – Undergraduate Business Programs (tie)
Rhode Island College
(Each of the following rankings are in the Regional Universities North category)
- 119 – Regional Universities North (tie)
- 41 – Top Public Schools (tie)
- 47 – Top Performers on Social Mobility (tie)
Rhode Island School of Design
Unranked in arts schools
Roger Williams University
(Each of the following rankings are in the Regional Universities North category)
- 27 – Regional Universities North
- 20 -Most Innovative Schools (tie)
- 62 – Best Value Schools
- 324 – Undergraduate Business Programs (tie)
Salve Regina University
(Each of the following rankings are in the Regional Universities North category)
- 23 – Regional Universities North
- 24 – Best Undergraduate Teaching
- 34 – Best Value Schools
- 288 – Best in Undergraduate Nursing (tie)
Stonehill College
(Each of the following rankings are in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category)
- 98 – National Liberal Arts Colleges (tie)
- 462 – Undergraduate Business Programs (tie)
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
(Each of the following rankings are in the National Universities category)
- 227 – National Universities (tie)
- 96 – Best in Undergraduate Nursing (tie)
- 112 – Top Public Schools (tie)
- 147 – Undergraduate Engineering Programs (At schools whose highest degree is a doctorate) (tie)
University of Rhode Island
(Each of the following rankings are in the National Universities category)
- 162 – National Universities (tie)
- 78 – Top Public Schools (tie)
- 96 – Best in Undergraduate Nursing (tie)
- 131 – Undergraduate Engineering Programs (At schools whose highest degree is a doctorate) (tie)
- 147 – Best Value Schools (tie)
- 154 – Undergraduate Computer Science Programs (tie)
- 166 – Undergraduate Business Programs (tie)
Wheaton College
(Each of the following rankings are in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category)
- 85 – National Liberal Arts Colleges (tie)
- 53 – Best Value Schools
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
