Western Virginia's major colleges and universities fared well in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges 2011" annual rankings released Tuesday.

The rankings, a complicated set of surveys split into various categories, assesses and ranks colleges and universities based on criteria such as peer assessment, retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rates, alumni giving and teaching.

This year, Virginia Tech moved up two spots to 69th among the 100 best national universities, according to the report.

Tech is compared with other major research universities across the country, including the University of Virginia, which ranked 25th among national universities.

The report also compares and ranks schools by graduate and undergraduate programs, such as engineering and business.

This year, Tech moved to 13th among the top 20 U.S. engineering schools, up from 14th last year. The Pamplin College of Business remained ranked 42nd among the top 50 business schools -- the same ranking as last year.

Smaller colleges and universities, including private institutions, are also assessed and ranked by the magazine.

Among those, Radford University held on to its overall ranking of 38th out of more than 70 regional universities in the South.

Additionally, Radford was ranked 14th among public regional schools in the South, according to the rankings website.

Roanoke College, a private institution in Salem, tied with the University of Richmond for seventh place in the report's survey of "up and coming" schools.

That ranking is based on surveys of college administrators, who nominate peer institutions that have made "the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus, or facilities," according to the report.

Washington and Lee University in Lexington was 14th among national liberal arts colleges, while Hollins University in Roanoke County was 105th on that list.

Virginia Military Institute held on to its ranking of 62nd on the liberal arts list, a ranking it attained last year. That is the highest ranking VMI has ever held in the national category, according to a college news release.