Why some top schools are opting out of U.S. News College rankings list?

Many schools said that the rankings do not accurately reflect their values. The first schools to leave the U.S. News rankings were Harvard Law and Yale Law. Critiques of the methodology include overemphasis on GPA and test scores and a lack of focus on need-based aid and loan forgiveness programs.

Why are some schools unranked by U.S. News?

To be ranked, institutions had to meet the following conditions: have regional accreditation, be included in Carnegie's Basic classification but not designated as a "highly specialized" school, enroll at least 100 undergraduate students, have reported financial expenditures data to the U.S. Department of Education's ...

What colleges opt out of US news rankings?

Why did NYU drop in US news rankings?

According to NYU spokesperson John Beckman, the reliance of the USNWR on past data that did not account for recent university development, explaining for the poor performance of the university on the most recent ranking.

Why did Vanderbilt drop in US news rankings?

The changes in methodology come after top schools — including Vanderbilt Law School — recently opted out of the ranking, stating that it does not align with their values.

Why some top schools are opting out of U.S. News’ college rankings list

What is the Vanderbilt controversy?

VUMC sound found itself facing online threats and attention from public officials. In June 2023, the Tennessee Attorney General's Office ordered VUMC turn over the medical records its transgender patients. After it complied, two unnamed patients sued, alleging their privacy had been violated. The case remains pending.

Why is Tulane ranked so low?

Kasey Bubnash. Tulane University tumbled 29 spots in U.S. News & World Report's 2024 college rankings, a dramatic drop that school leaders argued was due to changes to the grading methodology and not the school's performance.

Why is UChicago ranked so low?

Due to changes in the evaluation criteria, the University of Chicago dropped six spots in the ranking, moving from No. 6 to No. 12. Both in person and online, UChicago's fall out of the top 10 generated a wide range of reactions.

Why did UChicago drop in U.S. News?

The downgrade comes amid a significant revamp of U.S. News's formula that saw metrics including class size removed. U.S. News claims that selected metrics were removed from consideration as they were not universally reported by schools or the U.S. Department of Education.

Why did Wake Forest drop in U.S. News rankings?

Wake Forest's plummet down the rankings reflects a separate issue: its overrepresentation of students from upper-class income brackets. According to the New York Times, 71% of Wake Forest students are from the top 20% in family income, and 22% are from the top 1%.

How reliable is U.S. News ranking?

All college rankings are problematic. But for several years, U.S. News has adopted increasingly questionable practices for gathering and interpreting its data, which have prompted some universities and professional schools to stop participating in the process altogether.

What is the most reliable college ranking in the US?

The U.S. News college rankings are viewed as the gold standard of college ranking lists. Its list is the most well-known and referenced. Here is a basic overview of how U.S. News determines its rankings: A total weight of 22% is given to factors related to "outcomes," such as student retention and graduation rates.

Is U.S. News University ranking accurate?

Is the ranking on US News & World Report a reliable indicator of the quality of a university, even if it is not an Ivy League school? No. Well known schools are likely to be voted higher than schools of equal quality but which are not as well known.

Why are schools boycotting U.S. News rankings?

UCLA and UC Irvine Law Schools are joining the growing boycott of U.S. News & World Report's rankings, saying the methodology the publication uses penalizes institutions that encourage public law careers and seek to enroll students from diverse and marginalized communities.

Why did Harvard drop in rankings?

Dean writes that his decision is based “on the principled belief that rankings cannot meaningfully reflect the high aspirations for educational excellence.”

Why is Reed College ranked so low?

Concerned by the credibility of USNWR ranking system and with the belief that simple quantification should not and cannot serve as a measure of education quality, Reed College quit the ranking in 1995 by refusing to fill out the survey from USNWRd and has continued to maintain this practice over time.

Is UChicago a little ivy?

The University of Chicago is not an Ivy League Institution but is certainly considered a top college. In fact, the University of Chicago is ranked higher than many Ivy League institutions.

Why is Northwestern ranked higher than UChicago?

UChicago achieves its highest ranking for its reputation among academics (13^th in the world), while Northwestern's best ranking is for its faculty/student ratio (37^th) in which it beats UChicago, which is ranked 52^nd for this indicator.

Why is UChicago not an ivy?

Ivy League schools may have prestige and history, but they aren't the only great universities in the U.S. Schools like Stanford, MIT, and the University of Chicago often outrank Ivies in terms of academics. However, since they aren't in the same athletic conference, they technically aren't Ivy League schools.

Is UChicago more prestigious than Northwestern?

Based purely on academics, both are roughly in the top 10 in the US (U of C often cracks the top 5). But it is important to know that the recruiting strategy of the schools are a little different. Northwestern typically seeks a more "well-rounded" mix of students (athletes, student leaders, etc.)

What is the big problems major at UChicago?

Big Problems courses emphasize process as well as content: learning how to creatively confront difficult intellectual and pragmatic problems wider than one's area or expertise and to consider how to deal with the uncertainty that results.

Is UChicago better than Oxford?

University of Oxford is one of the top public universities in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is ranked #4 in QS World University Rankings 2023. University of Chicago is one of the top private universities in Chicago, United States. It is ranked #10 in QS World University Rankings 2023.

Why did Tufts drop in ranking?

The aspects that led Tufts to decline in ranking have more to do with economic accessibility than academic quality; the quality of a Tufts education remains similar to previous years and still holds a respectable reputation.

Why does Tufts have such a low acceptance rate?

Tufts University receives a large number of applications every year and can afford to be highly selective in its admissions process.

Why did Brandeis ranking drop?

According to Liebowitz, the new methodology reduced the significance of faculty salaries and the weight of the financial resources per student and eliminated metrics that favored private institutions such as class size, which he pointed out as a significant factor of Brandeis' dropped ranking, as well as the number of ...