Rider University has advanced five places in U.S. News & World Report’s 2007 edition of “America’s Best Colleges.”

Rider rose to #31 from #36 in last year’s ranking. The University tied in the 31st spot with four other institutions, achieving the highest peer assessment among them. Rider is ranked in the top tier of the Best Universities – Master’s North category.

In addition to the U.S. News rankings, Princeton Review has ranked Rider among its Best 361 Colleges in the nation for 2007.

“These rankings are one popular measure of an institution’s reputational stature, and our improved standing is a tribute to our talented and dedicated faculty, staff and administrators,” said Rider President Mordechai Rozanski.

The U.S. News & World Report’s Universities – Master’s category identifies those institutions that provide a full range of undergraduate and master’s programs. However, these college and universities offer few, if any doctoral programs. Rider offers more than 60 undergraduate programs, 23 graduate programs and 18 post-baccalaureate certifications.

Ninety-six percent of Rider full-time faculty members hold doctoral or other appropriate advanced degrees. Full professors teach at all levels. There are no teaching assistants in the classroom or laboratories. These facts, coupled with a student:faculty ratio of 13:1, make possible top quality instruction in the classroom, as well as personal attention to students’ individual needs. More than 90 percent of Rider graduates are employed with full-time within a year after graduating.

Premier national accreditation in business, accounting, teacher education, music and counseling services also validate the University’s academic stature.

The undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Business Administration are accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The accounting program also holds specialized AACSB accreditation for its undergraduate and graduate programs. Elementary and secondary education program and their applicable graduate program on both Rider’s Lawrenceville campus and Westminster Choir College campus in Princeton are accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The undergraduate and graduate music programs of the Choir College are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

In addition, Rider’s graduate counseling services program in the School of Education holds the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) national accreditation.