Once again, Penn State remains one of the top public universities in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings.

Penn State checked in as the No. 23 public university in the country, five spots down from last year. A separate report conducted by Niche.com pegged Penn State as the nation’s No. 18 public university.

Big Ten universities including Michigan (No. 3), Wisconsin (No. 13), Illinois (No. 15), Ohio State (T-No. 17), Purdue (T-No. 17), and Maryland (No. 19) beat out Penn State in the public university rankings. Meanwhile, Dear Old State tied with Rutgers at No. 23 and fell four spots behind in-state rival Pitt.

Overall, U.S. News and World Report rated Penn State the 63rd-best university in the country, six spots down from last year. However, Penn State received an overall grade of 67/100, up six points from the year before.

The university also received nods for having the 22nd-best engineering programs and second-best supply chain management programs. Penn State came in as the No. 35 college for veterans, citing specific criteria that apply to veterans, such as the school’s affordability and whether or not it is certified for the G.I. Bill.

The annual report published Monday evaluates more than 1,400 schools across various factors, including overall cost and financial aid, size, campus services, graduation rate, “expert opinion,” social mobility, and safety, among others. Despite that, the list is pretty subjective, so don’t lose sleep over Penn State falling behind Pitt and Ohio State.

You can find U.S. News and World Report’s full rankings and report here.

About the Author

Sasha Kalika

Sasha is a junior majoring in Public Relations and Labor Employment Relations. She is from New York City. She is very passionate about Penn State and will shout We Are... at you if you see her walking backwards on campus. She is also a huge fan of dogs and has two Yorkies and a Pomsky. If you would like to see her dogs or have any questions send an email to kalikasasha@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @sashakalika1.

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