UNLV remains steady in U.S. News’ national ranking

Jennifer Knight

Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2002 | 9:44 a.m.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas remained at the same level of achievement in the new U.S. News & World Report college rankings that it attained last year.

The magazine gave UNLV a 2.4 out of a possible 5.0 -- the same score as a year ago.

The score measures seven characteristics: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving and graduation rate.

U.S. News sorted 249 doctoral-granting institutions into four levels. UNLV is at the fourth tier and ranked No. 210 this year, up from No. 238 last year.

UNLV accepted about 79 percent of its applicants, a high acceptance rate compared to more competitive institutions. Princeton University, for example, accepted only 12 percent.

This year UNLV retained 77 percent of its freshmen, compared to last year's 73 percent.

Ivy League schools Princeton, Harvard and Yale garnered the top three spots in U.S. News' America's Best Colleges rankings.

Last year UNLV touted its move up in the rankings from regional university to the doctoral-granting level as a sign of progress. This year, officials made little mention of the rankings.

"Last year the reason we moved up was our Carnegie ratings changed," said Tom Flagg, UNLV spokesman. "That (reclassification) bumped us into the next level."

While the fourth-tier ranking given by the report places UNLV in the research extensive category, Carol Harter, UNLV's president, says she is shooting for research intensive, a more prestigious category.