How Lehigh Valley colleges and universities ranked on latest U.S. News list

U.S. News & World Report has released its latest rankings of colleges and universities nationwide, and one Lehigh Valley university has made it to the top 100.

The publication released its yearly list Tuesday, and ranked Lehigh University in Bethlehem as No. 46 among top national universities .

DeSales University , in Upper Saucon Township, was ranked 296 on the full list of 496 national universities.

The publication said its rankings are determined by 17 criteria, including graduation rates, first-year retention rates, graduation rate performances, borrower debt, faculty salaries and peer assessment.

Lehigh University, which was one of eight Pennsylvania schools to make the top 100, tied Purdue University, University of Georgia, University of Washington and Wake Forest University at No. 46. The publication ranked Lehigh University 26th on its list of best value schools.

Lafayette College in Easton and Muhlenberg College in Allentown were ranked 31st and 71st, respectively, on the publication’s list of top 100 national liberal arts colleges .

Moravian University in Bethlehem was ranked 37th on the publication’s list of top regional universities in the north . Cedar Crest College in Allentown was ranked 74th on that list.

Princeton University topped this year’s list of best universities in the country. University of Pennsylvania was the highest ranking school in Pennsylvania included on the list.

The following institutions in Pennsylvania were ranked in the top 100:

• University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (No. 10)
• Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh (21)
• Lehigh University, Bethlehem (46)
• Villanova University, Radnor Township (58)
• Penn State University, State College (63)
• University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh (70)
• Drexel University, Philadelphia (86)
• Temple University, Philadelphia (98)

The full list may be seen at usnews.com .

What are the Lehigh Valley’s best high schools? Here are the latest U.S. News rankings