The Truth About College Rankings

Each year, the famed U.S. News and World Report college rankings come out to herald the “best” colleges and universities in the country. This list is then followed by rankings from additional publications and sources–including Forbes and The Wall Street Journal–claiming to have a more accurate approach to identifying which higher education institutions actually earn the title of best. Those schools that are crowned among the leaders on any of the lists, along with their students and alumni, celebrate the achievement with social media posts sharing the rankings that confirm their special status. Schools that have jumped in rankings often promote it in news releases showing their progress and growth. 

Because of their prominence, these rankings are often a place high school students exploring college options look to for guidance on which schools to aim for. Too frequently, however, students and families accept the validity of these rankings without questioning how they are calculated or what the rankings signify. Beyond that, students are rarely encouraged to consider whether metrics used for particular rankings prioritize qualities and characteristics that are important to their specific preferences and ambitions. Students end up making major life decisions based on this third party, seemingly objective evaluation of college quality. 

It is critical that students, as they explore and select a college, use these rankings as one input among many others to determine not which college is the “best,” but rather which college is the “best fit for them.” Counselors can help students and families understand what variables are used to determine the rankings and can help them translate those measures into meaningful qualities that they might consider. Use these tips to help students dig into what different college rankings represent and how to approach college exploration and selection with a more personalized approach that will yield a choice that aligns with the constellation of preferences, qualities, and aspirations for each student. 

5 Tips for Guiding Students:

1. Evaluate the criteria.
   ‍Lists and rankings of the “best” schools can be formulated by a wide array of methods, with different variables included in the analysis and varying weight given to each. Rankings might include graduation rates, quality of facilities, admission selectivity, affordability, financial support, career attainment, and even postgraduate loans. Rather than taking the lists at face value, it is essential for counselors, families, and students to identify which measures different rankings are including and use that information to learn more about different elements of a specific school. 

2. Consider how a college or university aligns with your needs, preferences, and future goals.
   ‍While college rankings often take into account academic prestige, networking opportunities, renown faculty, best-in-class facilities, or opportunities for field-specific research, it is critical that students find a school that is truly a good fit for them across a variety of measures that often aren’t factored into rankings. Encourage students to think about their specific goals, their preferences for the type of environment (urban, suburban, rural), size of the student body, proximity to home, whether they knew other students, size and accessibility of the campus, and even weather and climate. The “best” college is one where students will be happy and able to flourish.

3. Financial considerations are crucial.
   ‍College rankings often include some measure of affordability, the debt that will be incurred by students, or how likely a student is to get a job in their field upon graduation, but often do not do so in a comprehensive way or one that is specific to the unique needs of each student. For many students, these details are far more significant than how a college ranks. Counselors should ensure that students do not lose sight of these important metrics as they work to understand how to use these rankings to guide their search. 

4. Get student experience and perspectives.
   ‍There is no greater measure of a college than the experiences of current students and recent alumni. While rankings are often based on quantitative measures, the qualitative aspects of attending college are often far more informative of it being a good fit; and no numerical ranking can get at the nuances of a college experience like hearing first-hand from students with lived experiences. High school students should ask college students with similar interests and goals about the campus culture, availability of student resources and facilities, access to support, and the type of social community that exists. Some schools offer specialized support or resources for certain populations such as first generation college students, low income students, or students with shared background experiences. These types of offerings can be incredibly impactful on a student’s day-to-day college experience.

5. Think Beyond the Top 100.
   ‍Encourage students to consider the scope of a particular set of rankings. Many rankings are on a national scale, but may miss some great options for regional or commuter colleges and universities. Remind students to look at regional rankings or explore schools based on specialization in particular fields. These schools or more nuanced programs might not score highly given a particular ranking’s set of variables, but can offer an experience that is well suited for a particular student.

The Rankings Can Provide A Great Starting Point

These different ranking lists represent a tremendous amount of data and analysis about the college landscape, generally, and specific schools, in particular. These sites and resources can provide students with information that can guide them in a certain direction or identify a school that is not on their radar. They also offer great overviews and descriptions of different schools and opportunities to compare multiple colleges and universities across different metrics, which can be extremely useful for students and families. It is essential, however, that these rankings are not used in isolation or without thought and contemplation about the underlying variables and how they relate to the particular student’s needs, hopes, and preferences.