UT, Maryville College do well in U.S. News rankings

UT, Maryville College do well in U.S. News rankings

August 19, 2005

KNOXVILLE (WATE and AP) -- The University of Tennessee at Knoxville moved up ten spots to 85th among the best national universities in the U.S. News and World Report 2005 rankings.

The magazine also ranks UT Knoxville tied for 38th among the nation's top 50 public universities. That is up from 44th last year.

"Much of U.S. News and World Report rankings is based on the students and the faculty at the university," said Enrollment Services Dean Richard Bayer. "We are bringing in brighter students. We attract first rate faculty, and I just think now we're beginning to see the dividends that good students and good faculty are paying off."

This year's incoming freshman class is a little smaller than last year's record total. Official say that was planned to avoid some overcrowding issues this time around.

But UT says this is one of the most intelligent and qualified freshman classes in the university's history. Twenty-nine percent of incoming freshmen had a perfect 4.0 grade point average when they graduated high school.

Vanderbilt ranked 18th on the magazine's latest guide to "America's Best Colleges." The magazine will hit newsstands on Monday.

Maryville College was ranked in two categories of the 2006 guidebook. It was the only Tennessee institution listed in the top 10 of the category "Best Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelor's" category for southern colleges and universities. The school improved one to rank No. 3. Berea College in Kentucky is ranked first.

Maryville College was also recognized as one of the best values among small colleges in the south, taking the No. 2 spot. It's the for the fourth consecutive year Maryville has earned a high ranking in that category.

The publisher based its rankings on criteria such as graduation and retention rates, faculty and financial resources and the percentage of alumni donating money to their alma mater.

Harvard and Princeton were tied for the top spot in the overall rankings.

Tennessee Tech in Cookeville ranked eleventh among the top public universities in the South in the universities-master's category, which includes schools with undergraduate and master's degree programs but few, if any, doctoral programs.

6 News Anchor/Report Tim Miller contributed to this report. Portion of this report copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.