Northwestern has dropped in the U.S. News & World Report college rankings for the first time in seven years, moving from 12th to 13th on the list of best universities in the country.

NU held its No. 12 spot from 2008 to 2013 on the annual list, released Monday night. Last year it was tied with Johns Hopkins University, which took 12th alone this year. 

University spokesman Bob Rowley said the rankings are “not a cause for concern.”

“It’s fair to say the rankings fluctuate from year to year,” Rowley said. “Sometimes we’re a little up, sometimes we’re a notch down. We do very well consistently. We’re pleased to be so high in the rankings overall.”

U.S. News’ rankings are based on data provided by the schools, according to the magazine. The data includes student retention, faculty resources, financial resources and reputation among other academic institutions.

Princeton University was named the top University, followed by Harvard and Yale.

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