<p>The USNews rankings claim to measure undergraduate programs but you are correct, the peer assessment (15%) is influenced by the overall university, including graduate programs. The acceptance rate for 2010 is 38% BTW.</p>
<p>Highly ranked grad programs are not a requirement to rise high in the rankings though. Boston College is ranked 31 and its grad programs, except for Law, are not exceptionally well known. If Northeastern can raise its freshman retention rate and graduation rate (which is still impacted by the 5 year programs), the university could easily rise into the 40’s.</p>