ATLANTA — The annual U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges” rankings has placed three Georgia universities among the top 50 national universities.

Its ranking assessed 1,500 bachelor’s degree-granting institutions on 17 measures of academic quality, including graduation and retention, Pell Grant graduation rate, undergraduate academic reputation, class size related to faculty ratio, student selection criteria, and financial resources for students.

Emory University in Atlanta was the highest ranked Georgia institution, tying at No. 22 among national universities with Carnegie Mellon University and Pittsburg and Georgetown University in D.C.

Georgia Institute of Technology ranked No. 44, tying with Brandeis University in Massachusetts; Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio; Tulane University in New Orleans; and Northeastern University in Boston, Mass. Georgia Tech also ranked No. 16 in the top public schools category.   

“We are proud to see our programs in engineering, computing, and other disciplines among the best in the nation,” said Ángel Cabrera, president of Georgia Tech. “We also appreciate being listed again among the best public universities in the nation, even if this year we showed five spots lower than last. Our successful efforts to serve more students and lower costs penalize us in these rankings, which is unfortunate. At the same time, the rankings rightfully point out the need for us to do better in terms of social mobility. We have one of the best graduation rates in the nation for Pell students, but we serve far fewer Pell students than we should, and we need to keep working to change that.” 

University of Georgia narrowly clenched a place in the top 50 national universities, tying at No. 49 with Ohio State University. UGA, however, ranked No. 16 among top public schools.

“This outstanding news is another clear sign that the University of Georgia is solidifying its position among the very best public research universities in America,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “The consistency of our national ranking is a testament to the commitment of our talented faculty, staff and students; the generosity and support of our loyal alumni and friends; and the effectiveness of our vision and strategy to reach new heights of academic excellence.”

Others institutions in the top 440 include Mercer University in Macon, Georgia State University in Atlanta, Augusta University, Brenau University in Gainesville, Clark Atlanta University, Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Kennesaw State University, University of West Georgia in Carrollton and Valdosta State University.

In the category of best Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Spelman College for women in Atlanta took the top spot; Morehouse College for men ranked at No. 4 in the HBCU category.  

Full categories and details on the college rankings can be found at https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges.