Saint Louis University is ranked the 80th best university in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges issue for 2009.
SLU has moved up two spots from last year, although it no longer stands among the top five Catholic universities in the country.
U.S. News and World Report gathered information from more than 1,400 universities in the nation.
SLU’s crosstown neighbor, Washington University in St. Louis, is ranked 12th.
Marquette University, a Jesuit institution and strong competitor with SLU, according to an e-mail from Provost Joseph Weixlmann, Ph.D., ranked 71st over all and 5th among Catholic universities, a spot previously occupied by SLU.
The top three schools over all are Harvard University, Princeton University and Yale University.
Director of University Communications Clayton Berry said in an e-mail that SLU has been a contender by “consistently” standing with the top third of universities nationwide for the past six years.
“Rankings are only one measure of an institution’s greatness, but they are a reflection of the increasing quality of SLU’s academic programs,” Berry said.
Weixlmann said he thinks people misuse the rankings.
The real question to be asked is, “Among strong Catholic universities, is SLU the right one for me?” said Weixlmann.
University President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., commented on the position as a Catholic university and SLU’s potential as a growing institution.
“I fully believe we have the resources-talented and committed faculty and staff, excellent students with great potential, alumni support, financial resources and a mission that motivates us-to make our goal to be the finest Catholic university a reality in the long term,” said Biondi.
