The University of Connecticut remained the best public university in New England for the 11th consecutive year, according to rankings released Thursday in the latest issue of U.S. News & World Report.

The magazine also ranked UConn the 26th best public university in the nation – a category with more than 160 colleges and universities – and 66th best university in the nation among all 262 national universities, public or private.

UConn was also ranked 26th last year. The University climbed four spots on the subjective portion of the formula: peer ratings of academic quality. This single largest measure constitutes 25 percent of the formula.

“Given the tight financial situation the University finds itself in, and the dire shape of the national economy, I am very pleased that we have retained our position among the best public universities in the nation, and are more highly rated this year than ever before by our peers,” UConn President Michael Hogan said Thursday.

“As impressive as our run as the top public university in New England has been, we also are ranked third among public universities in the entire Northeast, including large population centers like New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey,” said Lee Melvin, UConn’s interim vice president for enrollment planning, management, and institutional research.

“While we understand that the system employed by U.S. News has its critics, we also clearly understand that this publication serves as a valuable resource to tens of thousands of parents and their children when they consider what college to attend,” Melvin said. “Many of the categories present a factual picture of the University – the quality of our students, our excellent retention and graduation rates, the number of classes offered that have fewer than 20 students … these are important numbers for future students.”