Clemson reaches highest U.S.News ranking to date
at number 27
Clemson University continues its climb among the nation’s best public, doctoral-granting institutions by placing 27th in the annual ranking by U.S.News & World Report. This is the University’s highest ranking to date. Last year, Clemson was ranked 30th among the 164 institutions in the category.
University President James F. Barker said the goal to become a top 20 institution has never been about impressing magazine readers.
"I'm very excited about the number 27, but I'm more encouraged by what's behind that number. We're seeing improvement in areas that directly impact faculty and students — smaller classes, lower student-to-faculty ratios and continued strong retention and graduation rates,” Barker said. “We've always said that if we do the right things, if we make good decisions, if we're strategic about resource allocation and if we constantly focus on academic quality, the rankings would take care of themselves. Today, I'm happy to report that our plan is working.”
U.S.News & World Report rankings are based on statistical measures, such as student SAT scores, graduation rates and faculty salaries, as well as a subjective measure of academic reputation. The list of public doctoral-granting institutions ranks universities across the country that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as master and doctoral degrees.
Clemson increased the number of classes with fewer than 20 students for the 2006-2007 academic year — 43 percent compared to 39 percent the previous year. The number of incoming freshmen in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class improved to 47 percent from 45 percent last year.
The engineering program at Clemson is ranked 57th among engineering schools granting doctoral degrees, a move up from number 60 last year. Clemson also is recognized as having an “outstanding example of an academic program believed to lead to student success” in its Writing Across the Curriculum program and is one of only five public institutions among the 15 recognized for making writing a priority.
The rankings will be published in the magazine’s Aug. 27 issue, on newsstands Monday, Aug. 20, and available online at www.usnews.com/colleges.
For more information, contact Clemson University News Services at (864) 656-2061 or Teresa Hopkins at (864) 656-1222.
Also see: The top 50 public national universities