University of Washington rises in U.S. News college rankings
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Cherry blossoms bloom in the Quad earlier this year at the University of Washington. Photo: Melissa Santos/Axios
The University of Washington has climbed four spots in U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges rankings, which were released Tuesday.
Zoom in: Among more than 400 national universities evaluated, the UW tied for 42nd place this year.
- Last year, the Seattle institution ranked 46th.
Zoom out: Washington State University tied for 192nd this year, while Gonzaga University in Spokane tied for 102nd.
- Seattle University, meanwhile, tied for 151st, and Seattle Pacific tied for No. 242.
Yes, but: While college rankings wield enormous influence, "they often rest on shaky measurement foundations," writes Soubhik Barari, a research group methodologist with NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research group.
- A September 2024 NORC report that examined five prominent college rating systems — including the one published by U.S. News — flagged issues such as data quality problems and subjective weighting, among other flaws.
The bottom line: While the UW in particular is still highly regarded — especially among public universities — these rankings should perhaps be taken with a grain of salt.