BANGOR

Colleges and universities in Maine were pitted against their peers across the country on Tuesday when U.S. New & World Report released its 2015 Best Colleges list.

As in previous years, Bowdoin, Colby and Bates made it to the top of the National Liberal Arts Colleges list, ranking fifth, 15th and 19th, respectively. The College of the Atlantic was ranked 99th on that list.

Maine Maritime Academy ranked eighth on a list of Regional Colleges in the north, which are defined as schools that focus on undergraduate education but offer fewer than half their degrees in the liberal arts fields. Also on that list were the University of Maine at Farmington, which ranked 18th, Unity College at 31st, the University of Maine at Fort Kent at 37th, Thomas College at 44th and the University of Maine at Presque Isle at 46th.

The University of Maine was ranked 173rd on a list of 280 National Universities. The lowest ranking on that list was 201 because several schools tied.

U.S. News & World Report is one of many media outlets that ranks colleges, though it is arguably one of the most widely cited lists. This is the 30th year the magazine has produced ratings, though over the years it has altered its methodology to put more emphasis on schools’ success with students, according to its website.

U.S. News & World Report surveys presidents, provosts and deans at colleges and counselors at public high schools asking for their opinion of peer institutions to generate 22.5 percent of each college’s score. Another 22.5 percent of each school’s score comes from its graduation and retention rates. Faculty resources, which includes class size, salary, degree level and whether faculty are full time, make up 20 percent of the score, while student selectivity makes up 12.5 percent.

The amount the university spends per student, a graduation rate that controls for students’ test scores and finances and the alumni giving rate make up the rest of the score.

In this system, colleges are grouped based on the populations they serve and, if appropriate, their region. That way, U.S. News & World Report says, schools are judged alongside their peers.

Some schools receive a “rank not published” designation, which means they are in the bottom quarter of their ranking category. The University of Southern Maine, Husson University, the University of Maine at Augusta and the University of Maine at Machias received this designation..

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