Since 1983, the US News and World News Report has taken it upon themselves to annually rank the best high schools and colleges. In the 2017 National University rankings, DU tied for the No. 86 spot along with Marquette University, University of San Diego, University of Tulsa, Bingham University and Indiana University. DU also ranked six spots ahead of its neighboring school, the University of Colorado-Boulder, who tied other universities for No. 92 in the nation

The rankings are based off of academic quality, including the following requirements: the number of graduate and undergraduate programs offered, SAT/ACT scores and graduation and retention rates.

The profile associated with the school’s rank depicts Denver as an active city at the base of the Colorado Rockies. DU’s athletics were recognized, specifically “Denver’s ski team [for] winning more national championships than any other program in the country.”

While the Colorado Women’s College was mentioned in the report, the Sturm College of Law was described as being “in the first tier of law schools.”

Most of the information provided in the ranking profile was accurate, however, US News reported DU’s tuition at $46,362. According to the DU website, the estimated total cost for tuition, including expected living expenses, is around $62,000.

The report also failed to acknowledge the school’s exceptional study abroad program, which has over a 70 percent participation rate. According to a 2014 Open Doors study, mentioned in the Denver Post and collected by the Institution of International Education, DU ranked highest in percentage of study abroad participation out of 40 listed institutions, which included Stanford University, New York University, Southern Methodist and Vanderbilt.

No matter what each year’s rankings says, after all things considered, DU chose the students, and the students chose DU.