Boston College placed 35th in the 2021 survey of national universities released September 14 by U.S. News & World Report, an increase of two points from last year’s rankings.
The University saw an improvement in its peer assessment score from 3.7 to 3.8 (the highest peer assessment ever attained), and in its graduation and retention rank from 23 to 21, but continued to be negatively affected by the 2019 change in methodology that rewards state universities with a high volume of Pell Grant-eligible students.
“This year’s rankings offer heartening evidence of our academic strengths across the University,” said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. “Boston College’s peer assessment by higher education leaders across the nation have climbed over the last two years in recognition of the quality of our faculty and students.”
BC placed highly in several specialty rankings among national universities this year, including “Service Learning,” 4th; “Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching,” 8th; “Study Abroad Programs,” 16th; and “Undergraduate Research,” 44th. The University also placed 42nd on the “Best Value Colleges” listing, due largely to its commitment to need-blind admission and meeting the full-demonstrated need of all accepted students.
The Carroll School of Management ranked 24th out of 511 schools in the “Best Undergraduate Business Programs,” and placed 7th overall in Finance; 12th in Accounting; and 20th in Marketing.
Overall, Princeton University ranked first among national universities in the 2021 rankings, followed by Harvard, and Columbia, with MIT and Yale tied for fourth. Among Massachusetts universities, BC placed fourth behind Harvard, MIT, and Tufts (30th), and ahead of Boston University and Brandeis (tied at 42nd) and Northeastern (49th).
The U.S. News rankings of all colleges and universities can be accessed at usnews.com.
Jack Dunn | University Communications | September 2020