Where N.C. colleges stand nationally

U.S. News & World Report's latest "America's Best Colleges" rankings will be online today at www.usnews.com/colleges and on newsstands Monday. This year, the rankings have been the target of a protest by 62 college presidents who argue that the contest distorts educational goals.

There are noticeable changes in the rankings, too. Schools are grouped according to their designation by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and Carnegie categories changed for more than 200 institutions.

Here's how North Carolina schools fare:

AMONG NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES

Duke University held its position at eighth. UNC-Chapel Hill fell one spot to 28th, tying with Tufts University. Wake Forest University held steady at 30th in the survey, and N.C. State University tied with five schools at 85th, down from 81st last year. Among public campuses, which tend to rank lower than private schools, UNC-CH was fifth and NCSU was 38th.

WHAT A BARGAIN

UNC-CH and Duke rated ninth- and 10th for best values, respectively, by comparing academic quality and cost after financial aid. NCSU was rated the 32nd-best buy and Wake Forest was 41st.

LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES

Davidson College ranked ninth.

REGIONAL COLLEGES

Among Southern institutions that focus on undergraduate and master's programs, Elon University came in at 2nd; Appalachian State, 10th; UNC-Wilmington, 14th; Queens University, 23rd; Campbell University, 34th; Western Carolina University, 41st; and Gardner-Webb University, 55th.

Among Southern schools that focus only on undergraduate degrees, High Point University ranked 6th; Lenoir-Rhyne College, 13th; Catawba College, 16th; Winston-Salem State, 21st; Belmont Abbey College, 28th; Mars Hill College, 32nd; Elizabeth City State, 34th; Barton College, 41st, and Methodist University. 43rd.