While the University of Washington is highly regarded as a research institution, many are unaware that it is formally ranked among the top four schools in the nation.

A report from the Center for Measuring University Performance named the UW the fourth most qualified public research institution in the United States, after the University of California, Berkeley; University of Michigan; and University of California, Los Angeles.

“There’s no doubt that UW is a top university in the world,” said M.J. Hillstrom, the college counselor at Mercer Island High School. Three years ago, The Economist rated it among the top 20 schools with the “best education for the dollar.”

College counselors and university staff alike pay attention to the reports, knowing they can maintain or increase applications and research funding and attract qualified faculty.

Among all public and private institutions, the UW came in 12th, with Columbia University taking the No. 1 spot.

The ranking is based on nine different categories: total research, federal research, endowment assets, annual giving, national academy members, faculty awards, doctorates granted, postdoctoral appointees and SAT/ACT range.

Some of the measuring standards, such as SAT/ACT scores, are debated. The relevancy of standardized tests is already discussed, as some say standardized tests cater to a higher socio-economic demographic that has access to preparatory classes and tends to be more familiar with the tests’ terms and style.

While it is sometimes argued that too much attention to research detracts from students’ learning, a strong foundation of research can highly benefit students in some cases. Junior Andrew Schwartz was recently given the opportunity to work as a research assistant for international studies professor Joel Migdal.

Migdal was chosen by the Office of the Provost to give this spring’s distinguished lectures, and he hired Schwartz to help him carry out his research on civic engagement in developing countries.

“My job was, … through profiles, mission statements and methodologies, to find out how non-governmental organizations and other groups have access to the developing world,” Schwartz said.

Throughout his research, Schwartz met with Migdal on a weekly basis, receiving feedback and working directly with the professor to prepare the lecture.

“Every week I would hand in about 100 pages worth of information, we’d talk about it, determine what was useful and decide what to do next,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz was paid to do up to 50 hours of work. The emphasis on research at the UW and its high rankings in the polls could cause admissions staff to overemphasize test scores.

“I don’t believe the rank will put too much focus on test scores,” Hillstrom said. “We know it’s getting tougher to get in, and I saw that with my high school seniors. But I do not believe that is because of its funding or its reputation as a research university so much as the rapidly increasing number of students applying to college.”