The University of Iowa ranks 27th among the nation's best public universities, according to the latest rankings published by the magazine U.S. News & World Report.

The UI's placement in the 2015 edition of the magazine's "Top 30 Public National Universities" compares to a ranking of 29th in the 2014 edition. The ranking places the UI in a tie with the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities and Virginia Tech.

The UI is currently ranked 71st in the "Best National Universities" category, which contains 280 U.S. institutions (173 public, 100 private, and seven for-profit), compared to 73rd last year.

"The University of Iowa's continued standing as a top 30 national public university by U.S. News reflects the talent and dedication of our faculty, staff and students," says UI President Sally Mason. "This wonderful news demonstrates the academic quality of our institution's undergraduate programs, and also our dedication to putting our students in the best position to succeed both in pursuit of their degree and after they graduate."

The magazine also ranked undergraduate programs in business and engineering. Among all public and private universities, the UI's Henry B. Tippie College of Business placed 34th, matching the 34th placement last year. Tippie is also ranked 22nd among publics for 2015, compared with 22nd in 2014.

The College of Engineering is ranked 32nd among public universities with doctoral programs for 2015, topping last year's ranking of 33rd. Among all public and private universities, the College of Engineering is newly ranked 57th, compared to 59th in 2014.

The UI was also listed in a section titled "A+ Schools for B Students" which lists institutions where non-superstars have a decent shot of being accepted and thriving (and) where spirit and hard work could make all the difference to admissions offices. Big Ten colleagues Indiana University, Michigan State, Pennsylvania State, Purdue University, University of Nebraska, and Rutgers University were also included in the list.

The U.S. News & World Report rankings are based on reputational data obtained from questionnaires filled out by administrators at more than 1,300 universities and colleges and from objective data submitted to a national data archive. The collected data are scored on a variety of indicators of academic quality in the following categories: assessment by academic peers and high school counselors, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate performance, and alumni giving. More information on the methodology is available on the magazine's website.

The U.S. News & World Report "Best Colleges 2015" rankings are scheduled for online release at the magazine's website beginning today. The 2015 best colleges guidebook is online now at the U.S. News store and will appear on newsstands Sept. 23.