Notre Dame was ranked No. 18 in the U.S. News & World Report best national university rankings released Monday.
The list, which ranks 443 U.S. colleges and universities, ranks Notre Dame as tied for No. 18 with Columbia University. Notre Dame was ranked a spot below at No. 19 in last year's rankings.
Columbia University fell in the rankings from No. 2 to No. 18 following a data falsification scandal. According to The New York Times, the scandal and the forthcoming ranking drop called into question the basis of U.S. News ranking
The U.S. News rankings are often advertised by elite schools in order to attract prospective students.
