Boston University climbed two places, to No. 41 overall, in the U.S. News & World Report annual Best College Rankings of national universities, released Tuesday. 

“We are pleased that Boston University’s accomplishments continue to be recognized, and that our strong reputation continues to grow,” University President Melissa L. Gilliam says.

BU’s Biomedical Engineering program rose four spots to No. 10 in the U.S. News rankings. BU was also listed No. 53 in Undergraduate Computer Science Programs (up 10 spots), and No. 34 in Undergraduate Psychology Programs (up 17 spots). BU Questrom School of Business ranked No. 36 in Undergraduate Business Programs (up 2 spots).

“There are many criteria that go into rankings like these,” Gilliam says, “but I’m especially proud that many of our broad strengths, from our graduation rates to our faculty research, are all reflected in our ascent.”

In the latest rankings, BU tied with Ohio State University and Rutgers University among 434 national universities, which are categorized as offering a full range of undergraduate majors, master’s and doctoral degrees, and often strongly emphasize research, according to the U.S. News methodology.

U.S. News rankings are considered by some to be one of the most influential college rankings used by parents, students, and guidance officials in choosing a college or university. This year, U.S. News used 17 measures of academic quality to determine the rankings for national universities, including graduation rates, graduation performance, Pell Grant students’ graduation rates and performance, first-year student retention rate, borrower debt, and faculty research. 

“In the past several years we have worked very hard to make BU accessible through Affordable BU and to ensure the success of students once they enter BU,” says Gloria Waters, University provost and chief academic officer. “What we are most proud of is the improvement in both the first-year retention and the Pell and six-year graduation rates.”

This year BU has reached goals of both a 90 percent graduation rate (six years after matriculation) and a 95 percent retention rate.

“I think our strength is really in the outcomes of our students,” says Linette Decarie, assistant vice president of analytical services and institutional research. “We have been improving steadily in our retention and our graduation rates year over year. Those are the highest that BU has ever had, and they have a really significant importance in this ranking.”

BU also ranked No. 25 in Best Value among national universities for the second year in a row. The Best Value ranking attempts to look beyond an institution’s tuition plus room and board figures and instead focus on the true cost of attendance by including measures of financial assistance provided to students, among them need-based aid, scholarships, or grants, and the overall financial aid discount rate, as well as the overall academic quality of the institution. 

The undergraduate program rankings are based solely on peer assessment surveys conducted among only the programs in those specific fields in the spring and summer of 2024. In other words, feedback from administrators and educators at comparable universities.

“Questrom has been working very hard on innovative initiatives in research, education, and career spaces, and it is heartening to see these efforts rewarded in the peer reputation score and in the rankings,” says Susan Fournier, dean of Questrom.

BU ranked No. 118 in Top Performers on Social Mobility—up a whopping 104 places from the previous year. This category measures how well schools graduated economically disadvantaged students, using data from the Pell Grants categories. BU administrators are still analyzing how such a big change occurred.

BU was also one of less than a dozen schools in the Top 50 that reached their rankings despite making SAT and ACT scores optional in the admissions process.

“We’re doing something that I think is in the best interest of equity and inclusion for our students,” Decarie says, “and we’re doing it when it’s not as prevalent among other schools in the top 50, and we’re still ranking well.”

“The improvement in both college graduate earning and social mobility point to the real-life value of an undergraduate education in allowing our students to succeed upon graduation,” Waters says.

“Together these data indicate that our efforts around ensuring the success of our first-year students and retention are paying off,” she says, “and that our commitment to access and affordability is having the desired effect of improving the outcomes for those of all socioeconomic backgrounds.”