Marquette was ranked 86th nationwide by U.S. News & World Report in its annual assessment of universities – the same as last year.

On its website,U.S. News says it determines the rankings through a mixture of graduation and retention rates, reputation assessment, faculty resources, class size and student selectivity.

The rankings have been subject to criticism in the past. One thing critics have argued is the rankings encourage schools to increase spending to rank higher on the list, thereby raising tuition levels.

Marquette was also ranked 53rd in the “best colleges for veterans” category this year after not ranking in the category last year.

“We’ve always prided ourselves on serving veterans,” University spokesman Brian Dorrington said. “We take many extra steps through training programs, social events and student organizations to make veterans have the best possible experience on campus.”

Marquette’s College of Business Administration moved to 77th this year in the undergraduate business program rankings, up from 93rd last year. The real estate, supply chain management/logistics and finance specialty programs were also ranked in the top 25 nationally.

Jesse Green, a senior majoring in supply chain management, said Marquette’s supply chain program deserves the recognition.

“I think the business school does a good job of teaching supply chain, but what really stands out to me is their massive network of businesses looking for supply chain majors,” Green said.

Green also said Marquette’s location in Milwaukee contributes to its supply chain program’s success.

“Supply chain management aligns well with Milwaukee businesses because it’s a very manufacturing-centered city,” Green said.

Marquette also placed 50th in the “best value schools” category, which is based on a university’s academic ranking and cost of attendance.

“We are really proud that our students are getting a great value for their significant investment,” Dorrington said. “At its core, this recognition is given to universities who are providing a very high quality education at a cost that is lower than competing universities.”

Another improvement over last year is the Opus College of Engineering moving up to 116th nationally from 124th last year in the undergraduate engineering program rankings.

Robert Hasse, a senior studying mechanical engineering with a business administration minor, said the improved rankings of the engineering and business schools are good news for students.

“I’m happy that Marquette’s programs are ranking higher on the list,” Hasse said. “It should really help me when I look for employment if these programs are ranked well.”