U.S. News rankings: Iowa State remains among top 25 percent of public national universities

AMES, Iowa - Iowa State University is again among the top one-fourth of all public national universities in U.S. News & World Report's 2010 "America's Best Colleges" annual rankings.

Iowa State tied for 39th (up from 40th last year) among 164 best national public universities, along with Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.; North Carolina State University - Raleigh, and the University of Vermont, Burlington. Iowa State ranks 88th (up from 89th last year) in the "Best National Universities" category, which contains 262 American universities (164 public and 98 private) that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors, as well as master's and doctoral degrees.

For the eighth straight year, U.S. News has included Iowa State's learning communities among its "Programs to Look For" - outstanding examples of academic programs that are commonly linked to student success. Iowa State is among only 26 colleges and universities recognized by U.S. News for learning communities.

U.S. News & World Report also ranked undergraduate engineering programs accredited by ABET. The rankings are based solely on a spring 2009 peer survey of deans and senior engineering faculty nationwide. Among public universities' engineering schools whose highest degree is a doctorate, Iowa State ranks 22nd, tied with the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. Last year, Iowa State tied for 23rd. Overall, Iowa State's engineering program ranks 37th. (It ranked 38th last year and 37th two years ago.)

In engineering specialties, at schools whose highest degree is a doctorate, Iowa State's agricultural engineering program is ranked third among top programs in the U.S. Aerospace engineering ranks 13th among public universities (18th overall). Chemical engineering and civil engineering both are ranked 13th among public universities (20th overall). Materials engineering is ranked 11th among public universities (17th overall).

Business ranking
Iowa State's College of Business is ranked 83rd among AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business)-accredited programs. Last year, the college was ranked 74th. Among public universities, ISU's College of Business ranks 49th.

Highlights of the annual college rankings are scheduled for publication in the September issue of U.S. News & World Report magazine, available on newsstands starting Aug. 20. For more information, log on to www.usnews.com/colleges.