You have to admit that USNWR has some head-scratching components to its methodology, such as measuring alumni giving rates and faculty salaries. Even their weighting correlative info such HS rank and standardized test scores does not really speak to how good of an education a school delivers. Other lists reflect faculty excellence in research, which does not necessarily translate to a quality undergraduate classroom experience. But that classroom experience is hard to put into numbers, as is teaching excellence and student satisfaction with their experience.