In its 1998 Best Colleges survey, U.S. News & World Report rated BYU 77th out of 228 national universities. Last year BYU was ranked 83rd; the improvement moves BYU into the second tier of ranked schools.
“BYU places a strong emphasis on undergraduate training,” says President Merrill J. Bateman, “so to have this kind of ranking–given our limited number of doctoral programs–is immensely gratifying.”
BYU’s score for academic reputation, which is determined by surveying university administrators across the nation, improved to 3.2 on a 5-point scale. BYU’s ranking was also boosted by improved scores in retention, graduation rate, and alumni giving, which includes donations to BYU’s capital campaign, Lighting the Way.
