For the sixth consecutive year and the eighth time in the past decade, U.S. News & World Report ranks the Georgia Institute of Technology as one of the top 10 public universities in the nation.

In the 2005 release of America's Best Colleges from U.S.News & World Report, Georgia Tech's ranking among all universities, public and private, slipped three slots to 41st.

Among Tech's highlights are the rankings for the College of Management, which moved up two slots to 34th among business schools and placed three of its programs in the nation's top 15. In addition, every program in Tech's College of Engineering was ranked among the top 15, with four of them ranked among the top five in the country. For the second year in a row, Georgia Tech's Co-Op program was ranked as one of 11 "Academic Programs to Look For" under internships and co-ops.

"This has been a difficult year for higher education in Georgia, and I'm pleased that we were able to maintain high rankings," Georgia Tech President Wayne Clough said. "Our reputational measurements continue to rank very well. But when it comes to variables like class size, we've lost ground with our competition. When you compete at the highest level nationally, even a percentage point or two can make a difference."

As with last year, Georgia Tech's peer assessment—the school's perceived quality among other universities—placed it in the top 25 of all universities in the nation with a score of 4.0, the same as that of Emory University (20th) and Georgetown University (25th). But variables like faculty resources, class size, and faculty-to-student ratios push Tech into lower rankings.

"We've done an excellent job maintaining our overall position in a difficult environment," Dr. Clough said. "We're one of the top research universities in the nation with a consistently outstanding engineering program and a business school that is on the move. For the first time ever, we have three business programs ranked in the top 15. That shows considerable progress in a very competitive arena."

"And I am continually impressed by our ability to perform at such a high level across every single program in engineering. That is tough to do year, after year, after year, with industrial and aerospace engineering leading the way," he said.

One other top ranking for Tech is the generosity of alumni donations. The percentage of Tech alums contributing to the Institute is the highest among any public university in the top 50.

"I think that says a lot about this institution and our graduates," said Clough, the first Tech alumnus to become president of the Institute. "They feel good about what they learned here. They've been successful in their professional lives. And they believe in the vision we have for the future of Georgia Tech. We've done some amazing things with their financial, professional and emotional support, and we wouldn't be where we are without our impressive alumni base."