UT dropped one spot to 53rd on the 2015 U.S. News and World Report national university ranking released Tuesday.

University spokesman Gary Susswein said the University’s drop in rankings resulted from a change in the report’s methodology, which placed less emphasis on the high school class rank of UT freshmen students and more emphasis on their SAT scores.  

“Because of the Top 10 percent law — which bases admission for three-quarters of our class solely on class rank — we were hurt by that change,” Susswein said in an email. “Otherwise, we have been extremely steady for the past five years or so.” 

Susswein said the report also considers student financial support provided by universities. Since both UT tuition and state funding for public higher education in Texas are relatively low, the University was further hurt in the U.S. News rankings, Susswein said.

According to Susswein, the U.S. News peer assessment score — a measurement of the reputations of different universities among college administrators — places UT roughly 25th in the nation. This score is factored into the report’s final ranking.

“Overall we’re pleased by the national and global recognition we continue to receive from these rankings,” Susswein said.