U. slips to 13 in 'U.S. News' ranking

Falling two places from last year, the University ranks 13th in this year's U.S. News and World Report's annual college survey. The newest ranking, in the September 16 issue, on sale Monday, puts Penn seventh in the Ivy League, ahead of only Cornell University. Columbia University, which was ranked below Penn last year, jumped four spots to number 11. The 13th slot disappointed administrators, who had hoped Penn might jump into the top 10 for the first time ever. For the first time in six years, U.S. News did not place Harvard University in the number one position. Yale University took over the top slot, followed by Princeton University and then Harvard. U.S. News bases its rankings on many criteria, including academic reputation, student selectivity, acceptance rate and test scores. The University received an overall score of 95.2 out of 100. The University's position steadily rose until this year, ranking 16th in 1993, 12th in 1994, and 11th in 1995. University President Judith Rodin said she questions the accuracy of the ratings. "Some institutions in our category are private, some public, some are small by university standards, others much larger than Penn," she added. "There is no question that this ranking, and other like it, are comparing apples to oranges in many respects." Admissions Dean Lee Stetson is out of town recruiting students, and no other Admissions representative would comment on the ratings. But Rodin said she did not think than the decline in rank will affect the number of applicants to the University. "We are comparing the finest teaching and research institutions in the United States -- if not the world -- in this group," she said. "We will continue to attract the ablest undergraduates and graduate students in the nation and the world." The University's overall score improved from 94.4 last year to 95.2 this year, despite the fall in rank. And U.S. News reported the University rose in academic reputation from 14 last year to 11 this year. Rodin said it surprised her that the University of California at Berkeley, "arguably one of the finest institutions in the world," was ranked 27th. Swarthmore College, Amherst College and Williams College respectively ranked as the top three liberal arts colleges. And the best regional schools are Villanova University in the North, the University of Richmond in the South, Creighton University in the Midwest and Trinity University in the West.