2012 college rankings. U.S. News & World Report has released its annual list of the top colleges in America. This year, Princeton University tied Harvard University as the top-ranked National University in the 2012 college rankings. Last year, Harvard stood alone as the sole, top-ranked National University, a category that encompasses large, research-oriented schools.No major changes occurred at the top of the rankings of National Liberal Arts Colleges (schools with an emphasis on undergraduate education and that award at least half of their degrees in liberal arts fields) as Williams College once again topped Amherst College for the top spot.

There wasn’t much change among the top-20 ranked National Universities, although the University of Chicago jumped up four spots, from a tie for ninth place in 2011 to a tie for fifth place this year. Among the biggest movers in the top 50 were the University of Miami (up nine spots from a tie for 47th to a tie for 38th) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (down from a tie for 41st to a tie for 50th this year).

Without further ado, here are the top 10 national universities, according to U.S. News.

The 2012 Top 10 National Universities

1. Harvard University (tie)
1. Princeton University (tie)
3. Yale University
4. Columbia University
5. California Institute of Technology (tie)
5. Massachusetts Insitute of Technology (tie)
5. Stanford University (tie)
5. University of Chicago (tie)
5. University of Pennsylvania (tie)
10. Duke University

The 2012 Top 10 National Liberal Arts Colleges

1. Williams College
2. Amherst College
3. Swarthmore College
4. Pomona College
5. Middlebury College
6. Bowdoin College (tie)
6. Carleton College (tie)
6. Wellesley College (tie)
9. Claremont McKenna College
10. Haverford College.

Source: blippitt