Georgia Southern University appears in the 2013 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges rankings, which were released Wednesday.
    The university’s rank was not published. Only the top 200 are ranked; the others are listed as “rank not published.”
    However, several programs at Georgia Southern did get ranked. The university garnered its highest marks for Online Computer Information Technology Programs, including No. 5 for Admissions Selectivity and No. 8 for Student Engagement and Accreditation.
    “We are excited that Georgia Southern University has once again been recognized as one of America’s Best Colleges,” university President Brooks Keel said in a news release.  “As the largest university in south Georgia, Georgia Southern is not only educating future leaders, but serving as an economic engine for the state. To be recognized among the best is a testament to the hard work and dedication of Georgia Southern’s faculty and staff.”
    Georgia Southern boasts an enrollment of more than 20,000 students from 49 states and more than 100 countries.   
    U.S. News’ National Universities category highlights the top 270 public and private universities in the country. There are 280 national universities — 172 public, 101 private and seven for-profit — based on the 2010 basic categories established by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. National universities offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and Ph.D. programs. In many cases, they place strong emphasis on research and receive federal money to support their research endeavors, according to the magazine.
    Other Georgia institutions appearing in the National Universities listing were: Emory University (No. 20), Georgia Institute of Technology (No. 36), University of Georgia (No. 63), Clark Atlanta University (rank not published) and Georgia State University (rank not published).
    Harvard and Princeton universities tied for the top overall ranking.
    Emory also was No. 18 among National Universities under “Best Value Schools.” Mercer University was listed as the best value among regional universities in the South, and Brenau University in Gainesville was ranked 13th. Agnes Scott College in Decatur was the 23rd-best value among Liberal Arts Colleges across the country.