Local colleges recognized by U.S. News and World Report

Some area universities and colleges have made one list of top schools.

U.S. News and World Report ranked Lawrence University in Appleton 67th in this year's National Liberal Arts College Rankings. Ripon College came in at 105, and St. Norbert College in De Pere ranked 127th.

Among the best regional universities in the Midwest, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh came in 76th. Marian University in Fond du Lac and Silver Lake College in Manitowoc both ranked 99th on the list.

• Click here to see the full rankings

The rankings take into account factors like SAT scores, graduation and retention rates, alumni giving and peer reputation.

But critics say the rankings are too arbitrary and pressure colleges to boost scores instead of improving teaching.