WEST POINT, N.Y. – U.S. News & World Report announced its “2011 America’s Best Colleges Rankings” today and ranked West Point the “Top Public Liberal Arts College” for the third consecutive year.

West Point was also named the third-best “Undergraduate Engineering Program,” where a doctorate is not offered, tying with Cooper Union (N.Y.). Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Ind., and Harvey Mudd College, Calif., were first and second, respectively.

In the Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs category, West Point’s Civil Engineering Program was #2, Mechanical was tied for #2 and Electrical tied-for #3.

“We are very pleased with U.S. News & World Report’s acknowledgement of the quality of the educational experience at West Point,” said Dean of the Academic Board Brig. Gen. Tim Trainor. “We are proud of our nationally renowned curriculum and the well-earned recognition our engineering program receives from independent organizations.”

The engineering rankings are based solely on a spring 2010 peer survey of deans and senior faculty that asked them to rate each program they are familiar with on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (distinguished).  West Point’s average was 4.1.

Out of 266 liberal arts colleges that U.S. News categorized as awarding more than half of their degrees in the arts and sciences, West Point was listed as tied for 16th-best Liberal Arts College overall, when combining both private and public colleges. Williams College, Mass., was ranked #1.

In other categories U.S. News ranked West Point #2 in The High School Counselors’ Picks. West Point was also #2 in two categories under Key Criteria in Judging Schools, Lowest Acceptance Rate and Highest Proportion of Classes Under 20.

About West Point
Ranked the “Top Public Liberal Arts College,” three years consecutively, by “US News & World Report” and “fourth best college in the country” by Forbes, the U.S. Military Academy is a four-year co-educational federal undergraduate liberal arts college located 50 miles north of New York City. The world's preeminent leader development institution, it was founded in 1802 as America's first college of engineering. Its mission remains constant—to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army. For more information, go to www.westpoint.edu.