U.S. News Best Colleges 2022: Where CU Boulder Ranks

BOULDER, CO — As colleges in Colorado continue to work through the academic challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, the University of Colorado Boulder was recognized this week for its steadfast dedication to providing students a quality education.

U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday released its 2022 Best Colleges rankings, which evaluate more than 1,400 U.S. colleges and universities on 17 different academic measures.

The purpose of the list is to provide students and their families with the necessary tools to find the right college for them.

CU Boulder was ranked No. 99 in the report's National Universities category.

"CU Boulder is the only school in the Rocky Mountain Region to make it into the Association of American Universities, an elite group of 62 research universities," the U.S. News report read. "The university has highly ranked graduate programs through the College of Engineering and Applied Science and School of Education. Its Law School stresses experiential learning through clinics, externships, competitions and pro bono work."

To rank colleges, U.S. News first places each school into a category based on its mission and, in some cases, its geographic location. National universities, which focus on research and offer several doctoral programs, are ranked separately from liberal arts colleges. In its regional rankings, U.S. News only compares universities and colleges with other schools in the same group and region.

Data for the 2022 edition of Best Colleges was gathered in the spring and early summer of this year. U.S. News gathered data on student retention, graduation rates, graduate indebtedness, financial resources, alumni giving and more. Colleges were then ranked based on their overall scores.

Read more about the 2022 Best Colleges methodology.

New this year is the Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs ranking, which looked at more than 690 schools offering Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing degree programs.

These Colorado colleges and universities were among those included in this year’s rankings:

National Universities

• Colorado School of Mines, Golden, rank: No. 83.
• University of Denver, rank: No. 93.
• University of Colorado Boulder, rank: No. 99.

National Liberal Arts Colleges

• United States Air Force Academy, just outside Colorado Springs, rank: No. 22.
• Colorado College, Colorado Springs, rank: No. 26.
• Fort Lewis College, Durango, rank: No. 168.

Regional Universities

• Colorado Christian University, Lakewood, rank: No 61 (tie).
• Western Colorado University, Gunnison, rank: No. 61 (tie).
• Colorado State University, Pueblo, rank: No. 87.

Regional Colleges

• Colorado Mountain College, Glenwood Springs, rank: No. 37.

See all Colorado schools ranked among 2022’s Best U.S. Colleges.

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Princeton University is once again No. 1 among National Universities, and Williams College remains in the top spot among National Liberal Arts Colleges.

For Top Public Schools, the University of California - Los Angeles is No. 1 among National Universities. The United States Naval Academy ranks No. 1 for Top Public Schools among National Liberal Arts Colleges.