U.S. News and World Report‘s annual college rankings placed the University 34th among public universities nationally and 79th among all universities, both public and private, according to a UA news release.
“We are pleased with this national recognition that comes as we welcome another outstanding freshman class to The University of Alabama,” UA President Robert E. Witt said. “Our record applications and growing enrollment indicate that students and their families recognize the quality and value of a University of Alabama education.”
The assessment is based on a formula that uses objective measurements to determine academic quality; it considers graduation rates, peer assessment and an academic reputation survey among high school counselors, the report states. College applicants use the results of this survey as a key factor in choosing an academic institution that will best suit their individual needs and interests.
“The national collective consciousness views [the University of] Alabama as incompatible with the pursuit of knowledge and intellectualism,” Paul Mokrzycki, a graduate student in history, said. “However, this ranking flies in the face of such a myopic assessment.”
UA has been ranked in the top 50 public universities in the nation for the past 10 years, and championed all other colleges in the state for 2011.
“I honestly didn’t know we are [ranked] that high,” Tony Foley, a senior majoring in business, said. “It makes me happy that I go to a school that is highly ranked nationally,”
The 2011 survey puts UA in the top 6 percent of the 1,400 colleges and universities surveyed by U.S. News, and the public relations department was judged as first in the nation for undergraduates in March.
“I think the ranking from the U.S. News and World Report is a good indication that the University of Alabama is continuing to improve,” Joseph Phelps, chair of the advertising and public relations department. “Rankings are set up to judge certain criteria, and this serves as a testament that we are moving forward in the aspects judged.”
