GW moved up 71 spots in Money magazine’s annual ranking of 700 universities nationwide based on the return on investment, but the University still lags behind most of its peers.

The magazine listed GW No. 305 in the nation, a ranking higher than last year when the University fell 167 spots to 376.

The magazine based its rankings on 27 data points from the U.S. Department of Education and Payscale.com measuring academic prowess, affordability and postgraduate outcomes.

The list excluded colleges that were in “financial distress,” smaller than 500 students or had low graduation rates. Money magazine noted the list did not take into account alumni satisfaction, assessments of student learning or geographical cost of living expenses.

Two of GW’s peer schools – Boston University and the University of Miami – leapfrogged GW in this year’s rankings, coming in at the No. 204 and No. 277 respectively. Incoming University President Thomas LeBlanc will come to GW from the University of Miami.

GW was outranked by all but three of its peers. Vanderbilt University took the highest ranking of the peer group coming in it No. 15.