Four area colleges and universities were ranked among the best in the nation in the most recent survey by a national magazine.

America's Best Colleges 2009 was compiled by U.S. News & World Report and ranks institutions of higher education based on 15 indicators of academic success, according to the magazine's Web site, www.usnews.com.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was ranked 41st of 130 national universities, while Union College placed 42nd, Skidmore College 47th and Siena College 118th among 124 liberal arts colleges. The University at Albany, Sage Colleges and Albany College of Pharmacy were listed as unranked.

Harvard University was ranked as the top national university, while Amherst College was named the top liberal arts college. Upstate New York's top university was Cornell University in Ithaca, ranked 14th, while its highest ranking liberal arts college was Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, ranked 11th.