In the 2017 U.S. News & World Report’s Best National Universities rankings of 310 schools, Cornell held steady at No. 15 for the third consecutive year, in a four-way tie with Vanderbilt, Rice and Notre Dame. The annual assessment is based on academic reputation, faculty resources, graduation and retention rates, selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.

The College of Engineering ranked No. 9, in a tie with Purdue University, for undergraduate engineering programs in Ph.D.-granting institutions, and the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management in the Colleges of Business and of Agriculture and Life Sciences was listed in a five-way tie at No. 9 for undergraduate business programs.

Among the business subcategories, Cornell ranked No. 10 in real estate.

In the engineering specialties, Cornell was listed at No. 7 in biological/agricultural engineering and earned a No. 8 spot in materials engineering. Several fields ranked at No. 10, including civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical/electronic/communications engineering, and mechanical engineering; and industrial/manufacturing engineering came in at No. 11.

The university also was recognized in the Best Colleges for Veterans category, which ranks schools that participate in federal initiatives helping veterans and active-duty service members pay for their degrees. Cornell ranked No. 6, also tied with Rice, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt.

The Programs to Look For category, which lists “schools with outstanding examples of academic programs that are believed to lead to student success,” cited Cornell’s internships/co-ops, service learning and Writing in the Disciplines programs.

 Other rankings of note:

• No. 8 in economic diversity, with 16 percent of students receiving Pell Grants.
• No. 10 on the list of “high school counselor’s picks,” in a five-way tie.
• No. 14 on the list of Most Innovative Schools, tying with four others.
• No. 16 in the Best Value Schools category, which factors academic quality and cost.

The 2017 rankings are published in 2016 and, in many cases, are based on data referencing 2013-14 and 2014-15, according to U.S. News.