In its 2012 rankings, U.S. News and World Report ranks Cornell second in engineering science/engineering physics programs at doctorate-granting schools, up from third in 2011. Cornell also ranks fourth among biological/agricultural engineering programs, up from fifth last year.

In other categories, Cornell ranks:

• ninth for "Best Undergraduate Business Program," up from 10th in 2011;
• ninth for "Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs" at doctorate-granting engineering schools, down from eighth in 2011;
• tied for ninth by high school guidance counselors with Duke, Georgetown and Johns Hopkins universities, down from sixth in 2011;
• 10th in economic diversity, down from ninth in 2011 (measured by the percentage of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants);
• 10th among national universities in the "best value" category, "Great Schools, Great Prices," the same ranking as last year; and
• 15th on the list of "Best National Universities," for the third year in a row.

In addition, Cornell's Writing in the Disciplines program was again listed in "Programs to Look For."

Among its peers in the top 20 of the overall rankings, Cornell had an "academic reputation index" (the peer assessment measure) that was "very strong," said Marin Clarkberg, director for Office of Institutional Research and Planning. "With a score of 93 on this measure, Cornell ranks sixth in the nation, outscoring several institutions with higher overall rankings, including the University of Chicago (92), University of Pennsylvania (91), Duke University (90) and Northwestern University (89)," she said.

The 2012 undergraduate rankings are published in 2011 and are largely based on data referencing 2009-10.

U.S. News publishes its graduate school rankings annually in March.

For more information about the 2012 undergraduate rankings, visit http://www.usnews.com/colleges.