Princeton Is Again Tops in U.S.

Princeton University will retain its no. 1 spot, followed by Harvard University at no. 2, in the U.S. News & World Report college rankings to be released Friday.

Williams College in Massachusetts also will return as the top liberal arts college in the country, followed by Amherst at second, Swarthmore third, and Wellesley fourth.

The rollout of the rankings appears to be business as usual, despite criticism from an anti-rankings group of 63 colleges, whose presidents signed a letter denouncing the practice and promising to boycott them.

The movement has failed to gain wide support in academia: A new survey of admissions officers released yesterday by the test preparation company Kaplan found that 97% of schools who participated in this year's rankings intend to do so again next year.

U.S. News & World Report editors say the rankings will be little affected by the protest. The rankings are cherished by high school students, collegians, and university public relations offices, many of which promote their rank in fliers and Web sites.

"We obviously want as many people to participate as possible. But all the statistical data is out there already," the magazine's education editor, Kenneth Terrell, said. "Whether or not they participate in the peer assessment survey, we're still getting that information."

Led by a college admissions activist, Lloyd Thacker, the antirankings group includes many small liberal arts colleges, such as Denison, Saint John's College, Kenyon, and Wesleyan. Its letter calls for a "new approach to college rankings."

None of the signing colleges rank at the top of the magazine's list, though some top colleges have shown limited support.

Yale University, no. 3 this year, is hosting a meeting to discuss alternatives to the rankings, according to Mr. Thacker's Web site.