The Vanderbilt University School of Engineering took a four-spot leap in the annual U.S. News and World Report undergraduate school rankings, grabbing No. 31 in a five-way tie – its best position ever.
Vanderbilt University overall came in at No. 16 after maintaining its No. 17 spot for five years, also earning its best place in the history of the rankings.
Today’s release is a perennial event eagerly awaited by the nation’s colleges and universities — and the students and families who must choose among them.
School of Engineering Dean Philippe M. Fauchet credited his school’s collaborative spirit for its success.
“Because of our small size, students really can get to know their teachers — who happen also to be world-class researchers,” he said. “Our engineers are not isolated from the rest of the university. At the same time they receive one of the best educations in engineering, they’re also exposed to other scholarly and non-scholarly activities.”
Fauchet said an introductory course for all freshmen offers a broad look at the different disciplines. It allows students to complete hands-on projects in those fields before choosing a degree path.
In addition, the Department of Biomedical Engineering gained two spots on U.S. News and World Report’s undergraduate specialty rankings to land at No. 15, tied with University of Texas-Austin.
The other schools of engineering ranked at No. 31 this year are North Carolina State University-Raleigh, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of California-Davis, and University of Virginia. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is ranked No. 1.
The School of Engineering landed in an eight-way tie for No. 35 in last year’s rankings. All those other schools, except for the University of Virginia, dropped this year.
U.S. News and World Report changed the rankings methodology this year, giving slightly more weight to the SAT and ACT scores of newly enrolled students, expanding the use of the graduation rates and reducing the peer assessment score’s weight.
Contact:
Heidi Hall, (615) 322-6614
Heidi.Hall@Vanderbilt.edu
On Twitter @VUEngineering