Durham, N.C. - Duke remained in a tie for fifth in U.S. News & World Report magazine's latest annual ranking of national universities that offer doctoral degrees.

The magazine lists Harvard and Princeton as No. 1, followed by Yale at No. 3 and the University of Pennsylvania at No. 4. Stanford shares the fifth spot with Duke. This is the same order as last year, when MIT also tied for the fifth spot.

Duke also was singled out this year in five of eight categories of "programs to look for," which the magazine called "outstanding examples of academic programs that are believed to lead to student success." Duke was cited in the "senior capstone" category and in four categories in which it also was included last year: first-year experiences, undergraduate research and creative projects, study-abroad programs and writing in the disciplines.

In addition, the magazine this year lists Duke as 9th in a category called "great schools, great prices." The formula used by U.S. News to determine this ranking compares a school's academic quality with the net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of need-based financial aid. "The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal," the magazine explained.

Other North Carolina schools in the "great schools, great prices" category were the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 10th; N.C.State, 33^rd, and Wake Forest, 36^th.

Duke's undergraduate engineering program tied for No. 22 among doctoral universities. Its biomedical/biomedical engineering programs ranked No. 2.

"We're pleased that Duke is ranked again in the top tier of national universities, and were delighted to see our programs for upper-class students joining the other categories in which Duke continues to receive special recognition," said Duke Provost Peter Lange. "The undergraduate experience is a central focus for Duke, with our students and faculty collaborating in ways that combine close personal interactions with the opportunities of a major research university.

"We're also pleased that Duke ranks highly in the 'great schools, great prices' category, reflecting our strong commitment to financial aid. We expect to spend almost $55 million this year as we continue admitting the most talented students and ensuring they are able to attend Duke, regardless of their family's financial status.

"Even as we welcome this news, however, we remind high school students and their families to recognize the limitations of these surveys. No ranking can fully capture the life of a university, and students should look beyond the numbers to evaluate carefully which institutions will provide the best fit for their own interests."

Additional information about the U.S. News & World Report rankings is available at www.usnews.com.