A nationwide ranking of America's top colleges lauds a handful of Michigan schools as being among the nation's best. The rankings, published by U.S. News & World Report, reveal that the University of Michigan is among the country's best universities nationwide and Michigan State University is among the "best values." Other Michigan universities were placed in a ranking that assigned tiers to schools not in the top 50 percent in their category, and Wayne State University was placed in the fourth tier. The rankings are generated by a formula that includes variables such as graduation and retention rates, faculty and financial resources, and the percentage of alumni who donate money to their alma mater.