Chancellor Victor Boschini saw this improvement in ranking as reassuring with regard to the many developments occurring at the university.

“The fact that we jumped up five places in the rankings pleased me because I see it as a validation for many of the positive initiatives we are making on campus,” Boschini said. “It is always nice to be recognized by others, and also always good to be moving up.”

Glenn Kroh, associate professor of biology, attributed the ranking to a variety of factors, such as the common transparency between faculty and students, smaller class sizes and state-of-the-art facilities.

“I’ve been here a long time and I’ve seen TCU change,” said Kroh, who has been with the university since 1975. “TCU is totally committed to being a university community, and they have gone way out to make it student-friendly.”

According to a U.S. News and World Report article, "How U.S. News Calculates Its Best College Rankings," colleges are ranked every year based on a variety of factors, including graduation rate, teacher-to-student ratio, freshman retention and level of selectivity.

The ranking process begins with categorizing schools by their mission, according to the article. The university was ranked No. 92 among the “national universities,” which are schools that offer master's and doctoral degree programs, a wide range of undergraduate majors and place a strong emphasis on faculty research.

According to the article, data is then collected from each college and evaluated according to “16 indicators of academic excellence,” each of which is weighted differently. Universities are then ranked based on the combined score of all these factors.

Ray Brown, dean of admission, said that although the rankings are good publicity for the university, they would lose value if people were not also impressed when they visit campus.

“There are so many things going on at TCU that are just wonderful and right, and I have described it as ‘the perfect storm,’” Brown said. “We have a campus that is absolutely stunning, and when people visit they are just wowed by the students and faculty they meet. It is a great time to be a horned frog.”