The University of Texas at Arlington saw two of its premier colleges advance in stature and placement on the annual U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges lists released this week.

The College of Engineering moved to No. 98 on the 2016 list of 165 ranked undergraduate engineering programs at colleges offering doctoral degrees, up from 100 on the 2015 list. The College of Business ranked 131st among 472 undergraduate business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, up from 133rd the previous year. The rankings are based on recommendations of deans and senior faculty members nationwide.

"The continued steady climb of both the College of Business and the College of Engineering are testament to the high caliber of our outstanding faculty and students, innovative curricula and focus on excellence," said UTA President Vistasp M. Karbhari. "We continue to meet the increasing workforce needs of the Metroplex and Texas while simultaneously enhancing the level of scholarship and research, all of which result in our accelerated rise to higher levels of national and international excellence."

The Colleges of Business and Engineering house some of the largest and most popular academic programs and have a combined enrollment of more than 12,500 students this fall. They contribute thousands of degreed graduates to the Texas economy each year and helped fuel the record number of more than 10,000 diplomas UTA awarded in 2015.