Princeton holds the top spot in the latest U.S. News & World Report college rankings, the eighth straight year the private, New Jersey school has either tied or held the top slot outright.

Just like last year, Princeton was followed by Harvard at No. 2 and Yale at No. 3 in the controversial rankings. As usual, a few schools moved up or down a slot, but no major changes occurred. Stanford was No. 4, followed by the California Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania tied at fifth.

The University ranked No. 38 along with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California-San Diego. Only two other Big Ten universities ranked higher: Northwestern University at No. 14 and the University of Michigan at No. 25.

Other Big Ten universities that made the cut for the rankings include Pennsylvania State University at No. 48, the Ohio State University at No. 57, the University of Iowa and Purdue University at No. 64, the University of Minnesota and Michigan State University at No. 71 and Indiana University at No. 75.

Williams and Amherst were the highest-ranked liberal arts colleges.

The rankings, which hit newsstands Monday in the magazine’s annual “America’s Best Colleges” guide, are facing particularly vocal complaints this year from a group of colleges and educators working to develop an alternative to the system.

So far, the group, led by education activist Lloyd Thacker, hasn’t formally enlisted any of the top-ranked schools. But the magazine has responded to one complaint: that the rankings punish schools for enrolling low-income students. For the first time this year, U.S. News is factoring the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants into its calculation of a school’s “graduation rate performance.”

Also new this year: The magazine has included the service academies. The U.S. Naval Academy is ranked No. 20 in the liberal arts college category, and the U.S. Military Academy is No. 22. The U.S. Air Force Academy leads the list of “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the western region.

The formula for the rankings includes variables such as graduation and retention rates, faculty and financial resources and the percentage of alumni who donate money to their alma mater. The biggest single variable – and the most controversial – is a reputation assessment by peer institutions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report