UMass climbs public university rankings, as Williams and Amherst again top liberal arts college list

U.S. News and World Report is out with its latest rankings of the best colleges and universities in the country. Several schools in western Massachusetts did very well.

As it has for many years, the magazine again ranked Williams and Amherst first and second nationally in the liberal arts college category.

However, the schools have a longstanding policy of not promoting the rankings, saying a single number can be misleading when evaluating a higher education institution.

In the same category as Williams and Amherst, Smith College in Northampton was tied for 14th, while Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley was tied for 34th.

Some public schools in the area also placed highly in certain categories. UMass Amherst was ranked as the 26th best public university nationally. That's up six spots from last year. UMass noted it's also the only public university in the top 30 in New England.

"These rankings reflect the growing excellence, leadership, and impact that are now synonymous with the UMass Amherst name," Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, a provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, said in a statement.

The rankings also rate individual programs. The nursing school at UMass checked in also at 26th, up from 52nd last year. Allison Vorderstrasse, dean of the program, said the recognition not only can help attract students, but also resources.

"Through that visibility and recognition of quality, I think it also has the potential to increase our funding and support from outside entities, whether they be foundations or funders," she said.

The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams was 6th best public liberal arts school in the nation and has been in the top 10 for the last decade.

“As we celebrate a decade of MCLA ranking in the Top Ten of Public Colleges, I continue to be proud of the incredible faculty and staff who make the College such an exceptional place to learn,” James Birge, MCLA’s president, said in a press release.