CANTON – St. Lawrence University is ranked 56th out of hundreds considered in the 2014 U.S. News & World Report “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” list.

That is the same spot SLU held in U.S. News’s 2013 list.

“While rankings such as these don’t necessarily tell the whole story about a university, it’s gratifying to be consistently ranked among the country’s best universities, in a very favorable comparison with our peers, and it reinforces the fact that we are providing our students with a superb education and a life-changing experience,” said university president William Fox.

St. Lawrence increased its scores in several key areas measured in the rankings, including graduation and student retention rates, and continued to perform well in comparison to the ranked national liberal arts colleges in other areas, including academic reputation, student selectivity and faculty resources.

The Canton school was also once again included on the magazine’s list of “A-plus Schools for B Students.” The list includes colleges and universities that consider student engagement and individuality, as well as academic achievement, in admissions decisions.

U.S. News includes 240 institutions in its “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” list, placing St. Lawrence in the top 25 percent of this group. The publication categorizes national liberal arts colleges as institutions that focus almost exclusively on undergraduate education and award at least 50 percent of their degrees in the arts and sciences.

Fewer than half of the nation’s higher educational institutions – about 1,400 colleges and universities – are ranked in any category by the magazine.