Saint Mary’s is ranked in top tier of U.S. News ‘Best National Universities’

Saint Mary’s is once again ranked in the top tier of the annual U.S. News & World Report ratings of best colleges and universities.

Saint Mary’s is ranked No. 173 in the National Universities category of the U.S. News Best Colleges 2014 guidebook, moving up one slot from No. 174 in the 2013 guide. Saint Mary’s is one of only three public or private schools in Minnesota listed in this elite category.

The ranking of more than 1,500 schools is available online at www.usnews.com. Results were announced today, Sept. 10.

U.S. News ranks Saint Mary’s in the “National Universities” category, which includes schools that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees.

Taking top honors in the “National Universities” ranking are Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University and Stanford University.

Along with “National Universities,” the other main U.S. News institutional groupings are “National Liberal Arts Colleges,” “Regional Universities” and “Regional Colleges.”

U.S. News categorizes schools primarily by mission and region, and ranking data is gathered from each institution on indicators of academic excellence.