StateUniversity.com, the leading website for college and university information, has issued the updated rankings for the Top 2,000 colleges and universities inthe United Statesand released its 3rd annual college ranking.The StateUniversity.com ranking is based on statistical analysis and comparison of student/faculty ratio, student retention, test scores and other critical factors. The website also provides Top 500 ranking lists on data points includingfaculty salaries,SAT scores,student debt,top schools by state,best-ranked public state universities,best private colleges and universities,top-ranked community colleges,top vocational, technical and career colleges, and many other criteria.

A key distinction between StateUniversity.com and other college ranking organizations is that the StateUniversity.com system is based purely on a mathematical comparison of key statistics. Many other popular college-ranking lists utilize peer review feedback, wherein colleges rate other colleges. Some critics have argued that peer review rankings may be subjective and perhaps even biased. The StateUniversity.com college rankings, first released in 2009, were designed to compare raw statistical data, without peer ratings or subjective adjustment such as the school's prestige/brand influencing the list.

The top 20 colleges and universities for 2011 are:

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2. Stanford University
3. California Institute of Technology
4. Duke University
5. Pomona College
6. Princeton University
7. Rice University
8. Williams College
9. Vassar College
10. Middlebury College
11. Cornell University
12. Carleton College
13. Swarthmore College
14. Brown University
15. Wesleyan University
16. Amherst College
17. Davidson College
18. University of Notre Dame
19. Carnegie Mellon University
20. Wellesley College

Newcomers to the top 20 includePomona College,Davidson College,University of Notre Dame, andWellesley College.

Dominik Mazur, founder of StateUniversity.com and Net Industries LLC, said, "We are very pleased to present these new, updated college and university rankings for 2011. As today's students face a tight job market and rising tuition costs, Net Industries hopes that lists like these - together with the StateUniversity.com comprehensive school profiles - will provide a great resource to help students make an informed decision regarding their future college."

Mazur also cautions students to evaluate schools based on their personal values and preferences, and not only on numbers or rankings. "The Top 2,000 rankings - or any college ranking system, for that matter - should serve as just one of many facets that help students to choose a college. If these college rankings help students and their families explore new university options, or begin college discussions that they wouldn't have had otherwise, then StateUniversity.com has done its job."