Arizona State University is ranked fifth among 77 colleges and universities that are “leading the pack in improvements and innovative changes” in academics, faculty, students, campus life and facilities.

For the second year in a row ASU has been named as one of the “schools everyone should be watching” in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges.” The ranking of “Top Up-and-Coming Schools” is based on the peer assessment of college presidents, provosts and admission deans.

Additionally, ASU for the third year in a row is named one of the “Best National Universities,” ranking 121, the same spot as last year. There are more than 4,000 colleges and universities in the country and U.S. News surveyed approximately 1,500 for its rankings.

“The U.S. News rankings affirm that Arizona State University is moving in a positive direction all fronts,” ASU President Michael Crow says. “The university has welcomed more qualified Arizona students and continued to be one of the best universities in the nation, proving that accessibility and excellence can go hand-in-hand.”

“As U.S. News notes, overall college rankings tend to vary little from one year to the next, but some schools, like ASU, are being noticed for leading the way in innovative change that benefits students in vast ways,” says Elizabeth D. Capaldi, executive vice president and provost. “We are proud to be recognized by our peers and included in the list of ‘schools everyone should be watching’ with such institutions as USC, Emory, Ohio State, Rice and UC San Diego.”

In addition ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business is ranked 31 among best undergraduate business programs at schools whose highest degree is a doctorate. The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering is ranked 40 among best undergraduate engineering programs at schools whose highest degree is a doctorate.

The U.S. News top rankings for ASU follow several recent accolades for the university, including being named by Princeton Review as one of the nation’s greenest universities, by Forbes magazine as one of America’s best college buys, and by G.I. Jobs magazine as one of the nation’s top military-friendly schools.

The exclusive rankings will be published in the magazine’s September issue, available on newsstands Thursday, Aug. 20, and available online at http://www.usnews.com/colleges beginning today.