The first-year student experience at Case Western Reserve University is among the 20 best in the country, according to the latest rankings. US News and World ReportThis is one of several ranking improvements for the university, which now ranks 51st in the U.S., an improvement of two places from last year.

“I am pleased to see recognition of the incredible opportunities we offer first-year students, such as the Roger E. Susi First-Year Undergraduate Engineering Experience and the extensive field experience for nursing students, often twice as long as those offered by other schools,” said President Eric W. Kaler. “While rankings certainly do not reflect all of the extraordinary work that goes on in our classrooms and labs, we appreciate their importance in raising awareness of our university.”

The 20th place ranking for freshmen represented a jump of 31 spots for Case Western Reserve. While other rankings were a mix of big jumps, slight increases, or some decreases, the university still achieved a number of impressive rankings:

• No. 9: Bachelor of Science in Nursing (one place higher)
• 18th place: Biomedical engineering (plus one)
• No. 23: Research/Creative Projects for Students (two places down)
• 40th place: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (plus seven places)
• 43rd place: Bachelor’s degree programs in engineering (minus six)
• 63rd place: Most innovative school (minus five)

CWRU is tied with Texas A&M University and Virginia Tech at No. 51 overall. Five schools share the spot directly above it (No. 46), while four share the spot below it (No. 54).

This year’s US News The rankings followed a similar methodology to last year, when there was a dramatic restructuring of the list. Last year’s methodology changes affected 22 of the 24 factors tracked and were aimed at giving more weight to students’ academic achievement, the magazine said. These adjustments resulted in public universities’ rankings rising by an average of almost eight positions, while private universities fell by an average of 16 positions. This year, the methodology remained largely unchanged, resulting in relatively stable rankings.

For the full list, visit usnews.com/best-colleges.