Students spell out the school’s initials with flashlights as fireworks explode overhead during the Premier UNLV event, an annual campus tradition that kicks off the fall semester in Las Vegas, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011.
Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012 | 9:42 a.m.
UNLV’s popularity ranking among universities has jumped for the second year in a row, up to No. 12, in an annual U.S. News & World Report analysis.
In this year's ratings, released this week, UNLV improved 13 spots from its position last year. Two years ago, UNLV wasn't ranked in the report.
The publication’s ranking system is based on the percentage of accepted applicants who ultimately enroll at the university — a metric known as yield. The most recent rankings are based on data from the fall of 2010.
UNLV’s yield for fall 2010 was 59.7 percent — meaning 3,115 of the 5,222 applicants accepted enrolled that semester — placing it near the University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a notch above Princeton University, according to the report.
Officials said UNLV's jump is indicative of more targeted recruitment strategies, such as school visits, travel, electronic communication and an enhanced orientation schedule that highlights campus resources and student life opportunities.
“Simply stated, this report shows that UNLV is the first choice institution for many students who apply here,” UNLV President Neal Smatresk said in a statement. “I believe they recognize the high value they get in their education here, and I believe this ranking will attract yet more students. This achievement reflects the great efforts of our admissions team.”
Harvard University snagged the No. 1 position, with a 75.5 percent yield, according to the report. Brigham Young University-Provo, Stanford University, Yeshiva University and University of Alaska-Fairbanks rounded out the top five, in that order.
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