College rankings can help you find schools to explore, but they should not decide where you apply or enroll. They reflect selected college data and editorial judgments, not every part of student life. To choose well, look at a schoolās programs, teaching style, culture, values, and fit with your goals.
What do college rankings really mean?
Newspapers and websites publish lists of colleges, sometimes grouped by major, type of school, or number of enrolled students. A list of top Colleges can be a starting point for research. But a schoolās position means little until you know what information went into the ranking and how it was interpreted.
Information used to decide which colleges are considered the best often comes from data released by the colleges and universities themselves. Editors then interpret the information they receive. If an institution does not submit data, at least one publication may use a formula to estimate values based on those of schools it considers similar.
So a ranking is not a complete description of a college. It reflects particular information, choices about what to count, and editorial judgment. A number or position cannot tell you on its own whether the collegeās programs, learning environment, or goals fit your needs. Treat the rank as one piece of information, not as a verdict on which college is best for you.
What factors do college rankings consider?
The factors considered in college-ranking discussions can include numerical information, opinions, and editorial input. The listed factors include:
- Annual revenue
- Number of students
- Number of ancillary services or practice areas
- The success ratio of the average number of students admitted to top 25 U.S. colleges and universities, as ranked by U.S. News and World Report
- Client satisfaction, such as testimonials or votes
- Social media presence
- Executive thought leadership
- Editorial input
These measures do not all describe the same thing. For example, a number of students or a measure of revenue does not directly tell you what it is like to learn in a particular classroom. A reputation or satisfaction rating is different from a count or ratio. When you look at a ranking, pay attention to the factors behind it rather than assuming the position captures every aspect of a college.
Ask whether the factors are useful for your own plans. A measure that supports one kind of comparison may not tell you whether a college offers the programs, instruction, or environment you want. The meaning of a ranking depends on what its editors choose to include and how much weight they give those factors.
How subjective are college rankings?
Rankings can be highly subjective, particularly when they include reputation. In the U.S. News and World Report rankings, reputation carries the most significant weight. The difficult question is how reputation is measured and how reliably a score represents the colleges being compared.
Each year, U.S. News & World Report sends ballots to participating schools. The recipientsāthe president, academic dean, and dean of admissionāare asked to rate peer institutions on a scale of five to one. The assumption is that these people know higher education well and can make informed qualitative assessments.
But consider how difficult it would be to rate every high school in your state. It is doubtful that most people could make an objective assessment of each one. The same challenge applies to voters asked to assess peer institutions across the country. Their opinions may be informed, but they are still opinions rather than direct measures of every studentās experience.
Fewer than half respond to the ballots, and many who do complete the rating form are making educated guesses. To address related concerns, editors also solicit ratings from selected guidance counselors. Even so, participation among all voters continues to be low. When reputation contributes to a ranking, keep in mind that the score comes from a limited response to a request for judgments about other schools.
Why do college rankings change?
Change on college campuses can be gradual, yet the outcome of a ranking may change every year. One reason is that at least one ranking guide, U.S. News, has acknowledged changing or tweaking its formula each year. When a guide changes its formula, the resulting positions may change even if the colleges themselves have not changed in the same way.
There is another challenge: colleges differ in their programs, instructional styles, cultures, values, and aspirations. Two institutions may look alike in a list but offer very different experiences. Trying to compare them with one formula can be like comparing apples to oranges.
Students also have different learning preferences. Some may like engagement-based learning, while others may prefer listening. An overall ranking does not show which style will suit you. To understand what a college may be like for you, look beyond its position and consider the programs, learning style, and culture that matter to you.
Do college rankings matter when choosing a school?
Rankings do not get students into colleges, and they do not necessarily point to the college that is best for each student. They can draw attention to certain destinations, but relying on them too heavily can pull focus away from student-centered decisions and the reasons you want to go to college.
Ask what the editors of a ranking guide can know about you. A list may not explain which college is right for a bright but timid student who wants to study classical archaeology. It may not show which environment suits a student who learns best through classroom engagement, or a young person whose sense of self and direction is still emerging. The rank alone cannot answer those personal questions.
College choice is a mutual selection process. It is not enough to ask whether a college has a strong position in a guide. Ask what you want to study, why you want to attend college, and what you hope to accomplish during your undergraduate years. Then consider whether the schoolās programs, teaching style, culture, and values fit those aims.
Rankings can encourage a destination-oriented and obsessive approach to getting into highly ranked colleges. Students may focus more on reaching a prestigious destination than on what they want to accomplish, why that goal matters, or how a particular institution could serve them. When prestige takes over the decision, it is easy to lose sight of your values and priorities and the wider range of opportunities available.
Rankings are artificial measures of educational quality, and they can distract from rational, student-centered planning. Consider the questions the ranking cannot answer, too: if students apply to schools where their chances of admission are less than one out of four, how useful is a list that only emphasizes a destination? And if barely half of students entering college this year will graduate from any college during their lifetimes, should a rank be treated as a promise of success? Keep those concerns in perspective rather than treating a position as a guarantee.
What should you check instead of relying on a ranking?
Use this checklist to keep your college search focused on you. A ranking can point you toward schools to learn about, but these questions help you consider what matters for your own plans:
- Check the programs. Consider whether a collegeās programs connect with what you want to study, such as classical archaeology.
- Think about how you learn. Consider whether you prefer engagement-based learning, listening, or another instructional style.
- Explore the culture and values. Think about whether a collegeās environment fits the person you are and the way you want to learn.
- Clarify your goals. Ask why you want to go to college and what you want to accomplish during your undergraduate years.
- Look at the ranking factors. Find out what information and opinions contribute to a collegeās position before deciding how useful that position is to you.
- Question reputation scores. Remember that reputation ratings depend on voters assessing peer institutions, and that fewer than half respond.
- Keep prestige in perspective. Consider your values, priorities, and the full range of opportunities rather than focusing only on highly ranked destinations.
Keep rankings in perspective as you plan. Build a list of colleges based on who you are, why you want to attend, what you want to accomplish, and how you like to learn. That student-centered approach helps you consider whether a college is suitable for you instead of letting a set of numbers make the decision.
Frequently asked questions
What do college rankings really mean?
A ranking reflects selected information about colleges and editorial decisions about how to interpret it. It is not a complete account of what a particular studentās experience will be.
What factors do college rankings consider?
Factors listed in college-ranking discussions include annual revenue, student numbers, client satisfaction, social media presence, executive thought leadership, and editorial input. The factors can also include a success ratio related to students admitted to top U.S. colleges and universities.
How subjective are college rankings?
They can be subjective, especially when reputation ratings are involved. Those ratings depend on voters assessing peer institutions, and fewer than half of those asked to respond do so.
Why do college rankings change?
At least one ranking guide, U.S. News, has acknowledged changing or tweaking its formula each year. Colleges also differ in ways that are difficult to compare with a single formula.
Can a college ranking tell me which college is right for me?
No. A ranking does not show whether a collegeās programs, teaching style, culture, and values fit your goals and learning preferences.
