The University of Arizona has been recognized as one of the nation’s premier academic institutions in the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings.

The UA placed at No. 46 among public institutions in the publication’s Best Colleges 2019 rankings — 14 spots higher than last year. Among all universities, public and private, the UA was No. 106, an 18-spot improvement over the university’s 2018 ranking and the UA’s highest appearance on the U.S. News & World Report list in almost 10 years.

“It is our intention to equip our students with the skills necessary to compete and contribute in the increasingly challenging global economy,” said UA President Robert C. Robbins. “We are stressing a student-centric approach that focuses greatly on the necessary humanistic and adaptive skills required to excel in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We embrace this broad mission and will work tirelessly to advance our influence on behalf the students and the university.

“At the same time, we remain proud of our status as a land-grant university and a member of the Association of American Universities,” continued Robbins. “The University of Arizona welcomed 31 percent of this year’s incoming freshman class as first-generation college students.”

U.S. News & World Report also ranked the UA as one of the top 100 values in higher education, with the university placing 97th on the publication’s Best Value Schools list. The UA appears on the report’s list of A+ Schools for B Students.

The management information systems program in the UA Eller College of Management once again distinguished itself by placing No. 1 among public universities. Among all universities, the program placed third, trailing only the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon University.

The Eller College also earned recognition alongside the nation’s best undergraduate business programs, finishing tied for 21st overall and 16th among public universities. The UA College of Engineering undergraduate program finished tied for 55th nationally among all doctoral degree-granting universities and 31st among public institutions.

U.S. News & World Report ranks colleges and universities based on 16 measures of academic quality. The measures considered for national universities include graduation and retention rates, assessment by peers and counselors, faculty resources (such as class size, benefits and salaries), student selectivity, financial resources for students, alumni giving, and graduation rate performance, which is the difference between actual and predicted graduation rates.