The University of Dayton ranked 127th out of 443 national universities and also was ranked 35th on U.S. News’ list of “Best Value Schools.” That category is for schools that reported sufficient financial aid data to U.S. News and that also ranked in the top half of their “best colleges” category.
Miami was ranked 18th overall (and fifth among public schools) in Best Undergraduate Teaching, tied with Arizona State and Harvard. The “Best Undergraduate Teaching” category is based solely on nominations from presidents and administrators at other universities who participated in U.S. News’ peer assessment survey.
“Our faculty and staff create experiences in and out of the classroom that prepare students to thrive in a global society,” Miami President Gregory Crawford said. “To be recognized as one of the top 50 public universities in the nation reflects our commitment to student success and academic excellence.”
Some researchers have criticized U.S. News’ rankings, saying they focus on the wrong things, or that the universities try to “game” their rankings since they know what metrics are used.
College admissions analysts often advise students to focus on finding a college that is the right fit for them — whether based on a specific academic program, cost, school size, location, or on-campus “feel” — rather than just following rankings.
Universities must nominate themselves and provide their own data to U.S. News & World Report for the national university portion. U.S. News uses a variety of factors to rank schools, according to the methodology explanation, including undergraduate academic reputation, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources including class sizes, and financial aid.
Universities will also self-nominate for consideration in Best Value Schools. Need-based aid, scholarships and grants and quality of the school were factors in determining the ranks.
U.S. News and World Report “Best Colleges” rankings
National universities (443 listed)
1 — Princeton (N.J.)
44 — Case Western (top Ohio)
49 — Ohio State
105 — Miami
127 — Dayton
331-440 — Wright State
National liberal arts colleges (210 listed)
1 — Williams (Mass.)
31 — Kenyon (top Ohio)
147 — Wittenberg
Unranked — Antioch College
Regional universities Midwest (167 listed)
1 — Butler U. (Indiana)
2 — John Carroll (top Ohio)
15 — Cedarville
Regional colleges Midwest (86 listed)
1 — Cottey College (Mo.)
4 — Ohio Northern (top Ohio)
26 — Wilmington
49 — Miami U-Hamilton
56 — Miami U-Middletown
58-76 — Central State
58-76 — Wilberforce
Undergraduate teaching (only 78 national universities listed)
1 — Elon (N.C.)
18 — Miami (top Ohio)
41 — Bowling Green
54 (tie) — Ohio State
54 (tie) — Dayton
Best value schools (223 listed)
1 — Harvard
35 — Dayton (top Ohio)
92 — Ohio U.
204 — Ohio State
212 — Miami
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