Which Arizona university is the best? It depends which rankings you value

Rachel Leingang | The Republic | azcentral.com

The bitter rivalry between Arizona State University and the University of Arizona isn’t just a sports thing.

The two schools jockey to outrank each other in academics and prestigious scholar programs, too.

Northern Arizona University is much smaller and typically doesn’t come near the two large research institutions in national rankings.

Students and their parents pay attention to rankings and successes when choosing a school, so universities often feature positive rankings in their promotional materials.

Overall U.S. News rankings

Colleges and students across the country put stock into annual rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

This year's top-ranked schools are Princeton University, Harvard University, University of Chicago and Yale University. All four elite colleges are private.

ASU President Michael Crow has dinged rankings that include the difficulty of getting into the school as part of the evaluation.

"Every year 'elite' colleges and universities select a tiny fraction of the thousands and thousands of smart, talented and capable students who apply," Crow wrote in a LinkedIn post in 2015.

"These institutions then show up on highly touted rankings of the most selective schools in the country, as if a razor-thin acceptance rate was in and of itself a sign of achievement and a model of success."

ASU ranks 115th in the U.S. News rankings, while UA comes in at 124.

Specific programs at Arizona universities get higher rankings by U.S. News, and other lists, like one ranking public universities only, put Arizona schools higher.

For instance, ASU ranks 53rd and UA 58th on U.S. News' list of top public schools.

ASU ranks 40th in the ranking of best undergraduate engineering programs. UA took 49th place.

In the ranking of best colleges for veterans, ASU took 70th and UA took 78th.

ASU’s innovation ranking

You’ve likely heard by now that ASU was ranked first in "innovation" by U.S. News & World Report for three years running, beating out Stanford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

It’s pretty hard to miss, considering ASU touts the ranking everywhere, even on bus wraps.

U.S. News asked college leaders like presidents and provosts to rank schools based on the "most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities."

"This ranking enables top college officials to pick schools that the public should be watching because of the cutting-edge changes the colleges are making on their campuses," U.S. News said.

The No. 1 in innovation rankings has become something of a meme for ASU students and detractors.

There’s a Facebook group called “ASU Memes for #1 Innovative Teens.” The ASU page on social media platform Reddit screams the ranking in its banner image.

The rankings include only 31 schools; UA and NAU didn't make the cut.

Number of Fulbright scholars

Another measure universities use to tout their achievements is the number of students who win Fulbright awards.

The prestigious Fulbright program allows recent college graduates and graduate students to live abroad, where they study, teach and do research.

For the 2017-18 school year, ASU ranked 23rd among all universities in the number of its students who got Fulbright awards, with 14 students. The rankings are compiled annually by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

UA ranked 30th, with 12 students. NAU had two Fulbright students.

Brown University topped the ranks with 39 Fulbright winners. The University of Notre Dame had 29, and Northwestern University had 25.

Research rankings and dollars

Universities compete for research dollars, so rankings of which schools receive and spend the most on research matter to schools.

The predominant source of research spending rankings comes from an annual report by the National Science Foundation.

UA ranked 38th among all universities in research and development expenditures in 2016, the most recent year analyzed by the foundation.

ASU ranked 44th. Though, ASU notes, it ranks ninth among universities without medical schools. Medical schools boost research and development expenditures.

NAU ranked 213th.

Johns Hopkins University was first.

How the universities see themselves

Different factors matter to different students, and a student's choice to attend a specific school include financial, academic, extracurricular and personal considerations.

Universities recognize this and highlight their successes on their websites.

At ASU, the school touts its academics, value, international student population and military friendliness. The university also talks about what its graduates go on to do, like working in Silicon Valley or joining the Peace Corps.

UA mentions its research prowess, leadership and scholarship. "In areas as diverse as astronomy, medicine, optics, entrepreneurship, and dance, UA faculty and programs are among the nation's best," the school's rankings webpage says.

For NAU, the campus's mountain location is a major selling point. The university notes that Flagstaff was named the third-best college town by Business Insider. The school also promotes its value, specific programs like nursing and hospitality, sustainability and global reach.

So, which is best? It's up to you

Students must decide what's most important to them when choosing a college, though rankings can help inform those decisions.

ASU comes in highest of Arizona's three universities in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. But UA spends more on research and development.

ASU and UA both rank well on the number of Fulbright grants, though ASU beat out UA by two students there this year.

If you're really into innovation, ASU's first place win may speak to you.

And if you want a great college town experience, NAU may be the right fit.

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