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Archive for: US News University Rankings

US News Ranking


US News & World Report Ranking, US News Rankings, US News University Rankings

GW will be unranked for the remainder of the year in the “US News & World Report” college rankings.

The Ivy Coach salutes “US News & World Report” for keeping them honest by removing George Washington University’s #51 ranking among best national universities. George Washington, it was recently revealed, misreported class rank data to the magazine and thus their rank in the September issue was better than it should have been had the data reported been accurate. George Washington University is now unranked and will be unranked until the 2014 “US News & World Report” “Best Colleges” edition.

Said GW president Steven Knapp in a statement about the “US News” ranking, “We were surprised by the decision of U.S. News to remove George Washington’s numerical ranking rather than to correct it in light of our disclosure. We regret the error and have put safeguards in place to prevent such errors from occurring in the future.” We can’t imagine why Mr. Knapp was surprised. The university misreported data that led to an inaccurate ranking. If students plagiarize a term paper, don’t they suffer consequences? Your university tried to game the system — whether knowingly or unknowingly — and it’s only fair that they should be removed from the rankings as a result of this. The school ranked #52, after all, didn’t misreport data (to our knowledge).

“US News & World Report” sent a great message to college admissions officers (and Deans of Admission in particular). Report accurate data. If you don’t, your school will go unranked. The “US News & World Report” rankings are hugely important for universities and thus it’s fitting that GW should be penalized this year. They’ll think twice next time they even consider misreporting data. And so will every other university across the United States.

US News University Rankings


There was an article in “USA Today” that discusses the lengths colleges will go to in order to boost their standing in the “US News & World Report” university rankings. We all by now know what happened at Claremont McKenna College when the former Dean of Admissions falsely reported SAT scores of incoming CMC students. Presumably, Claremont McKenna will be removed from the “US News & World Report” rankings next year…as they should be! It’s like when the NCAA realizes that a college athlete should have been ineligible to participate because he received large sums of money from a booster. That college must then vacate any titles earned with that player and the university is often ineligible to compete in bowl games or the NCAA Tourney because of the indiscretions.

US News Rankings, College Rankings and US News, US News Ranking, US News Best Colleges

The "US News" university rankings matter. Anyone who tells you differently isn't telling you the truth.

But what about lesser offenses? Like when Baylor University paid admitted students to retake their SATs in order to boost the university’s standing in the “US News” university rankings? That was within the confines of the rules…but was it ethical? Should Baylor have been reprimanded or removed from the “US News” rankings for their antics? We don’t happen to think so. At least they’re playing within the rules. And the university rankings are a game so why not try and win? Baylor offered students incentive to take the SAT again. It’s a free market economy. They didn’t have to do it if they didn’t want to. Frankly, Baylor was just playing smart!

The “USA Today” article also goes on to mention that students don’t really care about university rankings. The title of the article even includes the words, “students shrug [at the rankings].” That’s ridiculous. The “US News” university rankings matter. Whether or not folks want to admit it, parents care about them. College applicants care about them. Alumni care about them. And colleges care about them. The list goes on and on. They impact the bottom line. They reflect the prestige of a university. And the magazine is seen as the standard on measuring colleges against each other. Even if Malcolm Gladwell doesn’t happen to agree with the “US News” college ranking algorithm.

US News College Ranking


US News Rankings, Rankings of US News, College US News Rankings

Claremont McKenna gamed the college ranking system for six years by reporting false SAT scores. But Claremont McKenna isn’t alone in gaming the system.

There are a number of articles out today about how the US News college ranking should be done away with in light of the major college admissions scandal at Claremont McKenna College. If you haven’t already heard about the scandal at CMC, the former Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid had been gaming the US News college ranking for years by reporting false applicant SAT scores. This former Dean of Admissions, Dick Vos, is no longer employed by Claremont McKenna. But the notion is absurd that college rankings should be eliminated because some people in positions of authority choose to unethically game the system to further their own goals.

Because some people cheat on their taxes, does that mean that taxes should be eliminated in the United States? Because some people zoom through stop signs, does that mean we should get rid of stop signs entirely? Because one college basketball player fixed a game, that means all college basketball games are not pure? That’s ridiculous. And so is recommending the elimination of college rankings because one (or a few) people cheat the system to their own end.

The fact of the matter is that college rankings matter to students, parents, guidance counselors, and future employers. It’s a means of comparison. Is it flawed? Yes. Can the algorithm be improved by which “US News & World Report” ranks colleges? Absolutely. But everyone shouldn’t be a winner! Everyone shouldn’t get a ribbon simply for finishing a race. Maybe that’s the new age way of child-rearing but, sorry Middlebury students, the vast majority of you would not be able to gain admission to Harvard. And Middlebury’s a very good school! So what’s wrong with a simple system that puts Harvard on a list higher than Middlebury? It’s essentially just stating the obvious.

Quit complaining about college rankings and how they’re hurting our children, new age folks. Go to yoga class and earn a ribbon.

The College Rankings


There was a nice piece by Derek Thompson in “The Atlantic” yesterday that focuses on the college rankings. He argues that parents and students who consult the college rankings already demonstrate that they care about college, distinguishing themselves from a certain percentage of the country. He even uses a nice little pie chart to show that of 21 year-olds in 2009, 60% weren’t in college, 20% didn’t graduate from high school, and only 1% attended elite universities.

University Rankings, College Rankings, US News College Rankings, US College Rankings

Students who even so much as check out the college rankings already demonstrate a motivation to want to attend an elite college.

We don’t disagree that students and parents who consult the rankings or who even express an interest in attending an elite school already distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack. We do question some of the statistics Mr. Thompson uses in his pie chart, though. For instance, we happen to know quite a few 21 year-olds who aren’t in college because…they already graduated from college! How do the statistics take this fact into account?

But, anyway, the main point of Mr. Thompson’s article is a good one. He says, “The true crisis in college admissions isn’t overly motivated parents or even analytical rankings of elite schools. It’s too little motivation among parents and students combined with insufficient information.” We happen to strongly agree.

The college rankings aren’t the problem in this country. Overly ambitious parents and students aren’t the problem. That should be the least of our worries. The problem is a lack of motivation and insufficient motivation. Parents and students who approach The Ivy Coach don’t typically have a lack of motivation. But they do often have insufficient or even erroneous information and that’s where we come in to help!

Check out this piece on College Rankings or this one on College Rankings and Fantasy Sports.

College Rankings and Graduation Rate


On May 3rd, “US News & World Report” released its ranking of four-year colleges with the highest rate of students graduating in four years. Do you think highly competitive universities will have lower graduation rates than, say, less competitive universities because the material is harder? Or because there is stronger competition from fellow students at these universities? Think again. Many of the universities that appear at the top of the college rankings based on graduation rate are some of the most competitive universities in the land. Let’s take a look at the top of the list.

US News College Rankings, College Graduation Rates, University Graduation Rates

Graduation rate is a major component of the "US News & World Report" college rankings.

Williams College leads the way with the highest graduation rate of students in four years in the nation. And Williams is in good company with other top universities like Yale, Bowdoin, Annapolis, Duke, Wesleyan, Harvard, Princeton, Notre Dame, Vassar, Penn, Davidson, Pomona, and Haverford also nearing the top of the list. Graduation rate is a component of the “US News & World Report” overall college rankings — in fact it is part of the “graduation and freshman retention” component as well as the “graduation rate performance” component of the formula.

1. Williams College – 93%.

2. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering – 91%.

3. Yale University – 90%.

3. University of Notre Dame – 90%.

3. Princeton University – 90%.

6. Carleton College – 89%.

6. Davidson College – 89%.

6. Pomona College – 89%.

6. Bowdoin College – 89%.

6. United States Naval Academy – 89%.

6. Duke University – 89%.

12. Wesleyan University – 88%.

12. Harvard University – 88%.

12. Haverford College – 88%.

12. Boston College – 88%.

12. Vassar College – 88%.

12. Washington & Lee University – 88%.

12. Bucknell University – 88%.

12. University of Pennsylvania – 88%.

Check out the full “US News & World Report” college rankings by four-year graduation rate.

And check out our recent blog post on college rankings as well as our newsletter on college rankings and fantasy sports.