Updated April 15, 2026
Q: The Biostatistics Graduate Program at Vanderbilt University appears in some US News and World Report (USNWR) surveys and not others. What’s up with that?
A: USNWR employs a variety of criteria and timelines for its “Best Schools” lists.
USNWR’s survey of best doctoral programs is historically been conducted every four years by polling biostatistics department chairs and graduate program directors. Prior to 2022, biostatistics and statistics doctoral programs were ranked together.
In the 2026 list of “Best Biostatistics Programs,” VU is ranked 15th out of 89 programs, with a 49% response rate among those polled.
The “Best Biostatistics Programs” lists published by USNWR in 2024 and 2025 focus on biostatistics programs within master of public health (MPH) programs (USNWR explains the methodology here). The results reflect nominations by public health school deans and other academics at accredited public health schools—a completely different set of respondents than those voting on best biostatistics doctoral programs (with a 37.6% response rate). At Vanderbilt, the MPH program and MS in biostatistics program are separate, independent entities housed in its School of Medicine rather than a School of Public Health.
To sum up: as with any kind of survey, it is important to recognize how these rankings were derived before drawing conclusions about the results. Here at 2525 West End Avenue, we are proud of the rigorous training, research opportunities, and professional community fostered by our faculty, students, and alumni, and we encourage you to peruse the rest of this website to learn more about what the program can offer to you.