WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Ranking the state’s colleges (not in football)

UWIt’s a rite of autumn – maybe not as deeply ingrained in the culture as the trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond that accompanies the freshman dorm move-in, but a much-commented-on phenomenon nonetheless: It’s the annual release of U.S. News’ rankings of American colleges and universities, pored over by parents, alumni, prospective students and school administrators.

The University of Washington ranks No. 52 and Washington State University No. 128 on this year’s list of “National Universities,” both public and private. But there’s another list both schools made that they might wish they hadn’t: a compilation by the Washington Post of the national universities that have dropped the most places in the rankings over the last three years. The UW has fallen 11 spots in that period, and WSU 17.

Both the UW and WSU have suffered in recent years from severe reductions in support from the state budget, as the Legislature struggled to balance the ledger in the Great Recession. But in the 2013-15 budget adopted in June, that trend was reversed as higher-education spending was increased. There’s no guarantee that will boost the schools’ U.S. News rankings, but it’s a sign of a brighter future for the state’s public universities and colleges.

Western Washington University placed No. 22 among “Regional Universities/West” and The Evergreen State College ranked No. 27 on that list.