Boston University was ranked the 44th best college in the U.S. in the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings released on Wednesday, higher than frequent rivals Boston College and Northeastern University. Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were the top two colleges in the ranking.

The Wall Street Journal ranked Boston College at 59th, and Northeastern University was the 93rd best college in the U.S.

BU Spokesperson Colin Riley said the university is happy that it’s been able to steadily rise in college rankings.

“Generally, in the past decade, rankings have had steady improvement,” Riley said. “BU’s been recognized in some very special ways across the board, so it’s all good.”

The Wall Street Journal ranking uses 15 “performance indicators” designed to ask the questions that matter to prospective students and their families, according to the ranking’s website. The indicators fall into four categories — resources, engagement, outcomes and environment.

College rankings are only one aspect that people look at when choosing or evaluating a school, Riley said. Choices like what degree students are pursuing can have large effects on where they end up.

“Prospective students go to look at it may begin their searches on it, but don’t necessarily begin their make their decisions based on rankings, they get to visit schools and look at the programs that are offered,” Riley said. “BU with 250 plus degree programs is a first choice for lots of students.”

Christiana Danakou, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she was very happy to see BU’s national ranking.

“I’m very proud to be a BU student,” Danakou said. “I come from a very small country where we are expected to be very good students. So yeah, I think I ranking is pretty awesome.”

Quinn Meurer, a junior in the College of Engineering, said he doesn’t see college rankings as very important.

“I don’t really know that it matters that much,” Meurer said. “It’s more about like, what your program is like and how you can, I guess, interact with people in your program … and if it’s a good fit for you.”

Krishi Patel, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she believes BU deserves to be even higher on the rankings.

“I feel that it should be a little higher,” Patel said. “I’m a freshman so I haven’t really explored BU a lot, but according to what I’ve heard, I think BU is a really great school.”

When asked how she feels about BU ranking higher than BC, Patel said, “Yeah, I think that makes sense.”