UMBC has again been chosen as the top up-and-coming university in the country, while five other America East institutions were ranked among the top 105 national universities according to the U.S News and World Report America's Best College Guide annual survey released today (Aug. 17).

Boston University ranked 56th overall among national universities, the highest rating for any of the nine America East institutions. Binghamton University (T-86), University of Vermont (T-94), Stony Brook University (T-99), University of New Hampshire (T-104) were others highly rated in that category. All nine America East institutions were ranked in Tier 1, which recognizes the top 75 percent of universities in the U.S.

In addition to UMBC, Binghamton (T-12) and Vermont (T-16) also ranked among the top emerging schools. The list was compiled after the publication asked experts to identify institutions that are making the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty and student life.

In other categories, Binghamton (T-39), Vermont (T-41), Stony Brook (T-45) and New Hampshire (T-47) rated among the subdivision of top public national universities. UMBC and Vermont were also tied for 12th in best undergraduate teaching.

To rank colleges and universities, U.S. News and World Report first assigns schools to a group of their peers, based on the basic categories developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2006. Those in the national universities group are the "262 American universities that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as master's and doctoral degrees; many strongly emphasize research."

In each category, data on up to 15 indicators of academic quality are gathered from each school and tabulated. Schools are ranked within categories by their total weighted score.

America East: Developing Champions in Academics, Athletics and Leadership