September 2005

Moving Up in the Rankings Race

GW Gains Coveted Spots in Annual College Rankings

By Jamie L. Freedman

The results are in, and GW once again figures prominently among American universities in several annual rankings of top colleges released last month.
The University earned a top-50 spot in the first annual Washington Monthly College Rankings, created to spotlight universities that enrich the country. GW ranked 42nd on Washington Monthly’s list of Top 100 National Universities and fourth on the list of Top 10 Service Universities, based on factors such as the percentage of Pell Grant recipients, the percentage of students enrolled in ROTC, and the number of graduates who join the Peace Corps.

The University’s undergraduate business program ranked among the top 50 nationally in US News & World Report’s prestigious annual “America’s Best Colleges” survey. GW moves up one berth in this year’s rankings to No. 47 out of a pool of more than 375 accredited undergraduate business programs. The University’s undergraduate international business specialty ranked an impressive 19th nationally.

GW’s undergraduate business program, which has made the elite list for the past six years, has grown steadily in both size and quality. “We are pleased to have increased our standing in this year’s rankings,” says School of Business Dean Susan M. Phillips. “It is a testament to both our academic vision and our efforts to strengthen the undergraduate program as well as the overall School of Business.”
Elsewhere in the US News rankings, the University placed 53rd overall in the Best National Universities category. Nearly 250 American universities are considered national universities by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, based on stringent criteria including the provision of a full range of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs and a strong emphasis on research.
Princeton Review included GW on two lists in the 2006 edition of its book of rankings, “The Best 361 Colleges.” The University was named the eighth most politically active campus in the nation, as well as number 19 among “Great College Towns.”

The University also ranked highly in Students’ Guide to Colleges (Penguin Books, August 2005) a new college guidebook created, written, and edited entirely by college students. GW was selected as a top 10 school in the amazing locations category, as well as a top school in America for pre-professional types.

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