GW held its position as the 53rd best University in the nation, according to the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings of the nation’s top Universities, released Thursday.

The University shares the 53rd spot with both the University of Maryland and Ohio State University. U.S. News & World Report bases its list on a number of criteria, including selectivity, class size, annual giving and a “reputation survey” that measures how different university presidents view the school.

Since 1998, GW has failed to break the top 50 in the U.S. News rankings, when the University was ranked 46th.

GW also held its position as the 34th best University in the nation as ranked by high school guidance counselors from around the U.S. In this category – now in its second year – GW shares its position with 10 other schools, including Boston University which is commonly referred to as one of GW’s market basket schools.

Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald Lehman and Vice President for External Relations Lorraine Voles did not return requests for comment.