The new US and World College Rankings are out. Cal stayed on top of the Public School rankings-- albeit now tied with U. Virginia-- and was ranked 21st overall.

University of California, Berkeley retained its spot as the nation's top-ranked public university in U.S. News & World Report's annual college ranking, although it shares top billing with the University of Virginia, which ranked second in the last survey.

The magazine's ``America's Best Colleges'' rankings are based on a formula that includes graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, peer review and other factors to determine the standings.

Universities are ranked in a variety of categories.

UC Berkeley and Virginia tied for No. 1 on the listing of the top 50 public universities. On the listing that includes both public and private institutions, the campuses tied at 21st place.

Marie Felde, UC Berkeley's director of media relations, said the campus has been at the top of the public ranking for at least the past decade.

``As in the past, Berkeley has ranked as the No. 1 public university in most of the surveys,'' she said.

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