Pennsylvania Colleges Clean Up in U.S. News Rankings

Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Delaware County, is the third-best liberal arts college in the country, according to the 2015 U.S. News and World Report rankings. (Patch file photo)

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By Alison Smith:

Pennsylvania colleges and universities nabbed a number of the top spots in the U.S. News and World Report 2015 Best Colleges rankings.

The University of Pennsylvania fell a spot from the 2014 rankings, tying with Duke University to earn the No. 8 spot on the list of Best National Universities.

Last year, Penn tied with Duke and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at No. 7.

A number of other Pennsylvania schools made the Top 50: Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh tied for No. 25; Lehigh University in Bethlehem tied for No. 40; and the Pennsylvania State University at University Park tied for No. 48.

On the publication’s list of Best National Liberal Arts Colleges, Swarthmore College in Swarthmore came in at No. 3, while Haverford College in Haverford tied for the No. 8 spot.

Also in the Top 50 were Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, tied for No. 27; Bucknell University in Lewisburg, tied for No. 32; Lafayette College in Easton, tied for No. 35; Dickinson College in Carlisle, tied for No. 37; Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, also tied for No. 37; and Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, at No. 50.