By Zack Sampson, News Staff
Northeastern rose again in US News and World Report’s ranking of the nation’s best colleges for 2013, sharing 56th place overall with Ohio State University.
“The US News ranking is just one of many metrics highlighting Northeastern’s incredible momentum,” university spokeswoman Renata Nyul said in an email to The News. “The University’s trajectory is evidenced by the record number of applications and highest average SAT scores; the historic $60 million gift to name the D’Amore-McKim School of Business; $104 million in research funding; and our top-ranked career services operation, to name a few.”
As it did last year, US News and World Report lauded the co-op program and Northeastern students’ real-world work experience. It also positively noted the school’s receipt of research funding from groups like the Department of Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation.
It listed Northeastern’s 2011 endowment at $601,026,045.
“The jump in rankings shows a validation that investing in experiential education truly gives students not just the knowledge but the skills and experience they need to succeed in our economy and our job market,” Pete Petrin, student body president, said in an email to The News.
Asked how the university can continue to better itself, Petrin said, “Our rise in the rankings comes at a time of rising tuition and our improved admission and retention rates come with less space for academics and campus life. New successes often come with new challenges, and the Northeastern can continue to improve by keeping those new challenges in mind. “
Harvard secured the number one spot along with Princeton University. The magazine ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology 6th; Tufts University 28th; and Boston College 31st.
Cross-city rival Boston University tied for 51st place on the 2013 list. But Petrin said he thinks the Terriers’ lead is shrinking fast.
“When I first came to Northeastern in 2008, US News and World Report ranked Boston University #57 and us #96,” he said. “In just five years, Northeastern has skyrocketed over 40 spots in the rankings to BU’s improvement of six. They had the head start, but we clearly have the momentum. Don’t expect them to stay ahead of us for long.”
