It’s official: Northeastern has jumped into the top half of national universities in the 2005 U.S. News & World Report ranking of America’s best colleges.

The university is at number 120—up seven spots from last year’s position—out of 248 universities offering doctoral degrees. The ranking is based on data from fall 2003.

“ This is further evidence that Northeastern has repositioned itself in the landscape of national universities,” says Mark Putnam, director of university planning and research.

Most remarkable is Northeastern’s significantly improved reputation score, says Putnam. “That score—based on surveys of presidents, chief academic officers, and chief enrollment officers from other national research universities—is the hardest to move,” he says.

Other areas of improvement include student selectivity—Northeastern’s acceptance rate dropped from 61 percent to 47 percent—and student retention.

Improved student quality also played a significant factor in the rankings. The percentage of entering freshmen in the top 10 percent of their high school class rose from 21 percent to 35 percent, and the average freshman SAT score was 1201.

As in last year’s rankings, Harvard and Princeton tied for the top spot. Yale ranked third, and the University of Pennsylvania fourth. Other local schools ranked in the top half include MIT (5), Tufts (28), Brandeis (32), Boston College (37), Worcester Polytechnic Institute (55), Boston University (56), Clark University (74), and the University of Massachusetts–Amherst (98).

In related news, Northeastern’s graduation rate has leapt to 60 percent—up 20 percent since the early 1990s and the highest rate to date. The impressive jump is the result of the university’s efforts to house more students on campus and its improvements to financial aid and academic services, says Putnam.

• E Line Story Index