U.S. News & World Report released its 2012 rankings of best colleges in the United States last Tuesday. Although its metrics and data are often disputed among many in academia, its influence is not.

The online publication placed the University at number 31 in public universities and tied for 75th in the overall standings. Alabama improved three positions from last year when it was ranked 34th in public universities. It is the highest ranking the University has ever earned.

“The quality of our students and our faculty and staff has never been higher, and our growing enrollment is a clear indicator that the educational experience at The University of Alabama is meeting the needs of our students and their parents,” said UA President Robert Witt in a press release.

Many high school seniors and their parents will take the rankings into account when going through the application process. A university’s prestige is often gauged, fairly or not, on the U.S. News rankings.

The Washington D.C.-based news magazine has been releasing top college rankings for close to three decades, and over time they have slowly seeped into the collective ethos of the application and admissions process.

Tyler Howard, a freshman majoring in economics, said he used the rankings during his college search last year.

“I wanted to back up my interest with the schools that I was looking at with genuine facts and the rankings do that,” Howard said.

U.S. News & World Reports said they use a grading system that encompasses 75 percent “objective measures” like graduation rates and SAT scores. However, 25 percent of the ranking is based on “peer evaluations” of college academics and high school counselors.

“The University has been very successful in growing with quality over the last decade,” said Cathy Andreen, the director of media relations for the University. “For example, looking at just one of the factors that influence the rankings, UA has become much more selective, admitting 53 percent of the applicants for fall 2011 as compared with 85 percent in 2002.

“While it is always gratifying to be recognized in rankings, it is more significant that UA continues to attract excellent students from Alabama and across the country.”

Harvard University finished first overall and the University of California-Berkeley was named the top public school in the United States.

A little more close to home, UA finished third among SEC schools, with the University of Florida finishing at the 58th position in the overall category. Georgia came in second in the SEC and at 62nd nationally. Auburn University also finished just behind Alabama at No. 82.

“Once again, we are pleased with this national recognition of our academic programs,” Witt said in the press release.

Add: Rankings of all SEC schools