U.S. News College Rankings

By Isaiah Quinn

U.S. News College Rankings are supposed to be an accurate analysis of the top colleges in the U.S., giving the description of the campus life, the college’s location, tuition and fees, the number of undergraduate students, along with reviews and where the college is nationally ranked. U.S. News provides this information in order for students to make the decision of which college would be the right fit for them and their families. To the public eye, these college rankings are something that many believe help make a teens or young adult’s decision on picking a college to attend easier. U.S. News is a credible source when determining the top ranked colleges in the nation. It uses a strong methodology behind its ranking systems and uses various factors to determine the rankings. Factors such as the average alumni giving rate, financial resources, peer assessment, graduation rate and rate performance, class size, student to faculty ratio, full time faculty, faculty salaries, and SAT or ACT test scores.

But many believe that the U.S. News shouldn’t rank universities because students can gain an education at any college regardless of their rank or how big it is. Additionally, the U.S. News doesn’t rank these schools based on the programs and opportunities they can give, but how notable the university is. U.S. News is viewed as one of the most unreliable rankings because of its prioritization of public perception. Many universities are able to control their rankings by making a strategic response or even manipulating figures. Which could explain why the list starts off with all of the top Ivy League universities. They can do this through admissions rates numbers. Top schools have low admission rates, so they use rates to climb the ladder in ranking by encouraging unqualified students to apply to their school. All eight of the Ivy League universities are ranked within the top 20 colleges, not to say that these aren’t great colleges with great opportunities, but not everyone has to attend an Ivy League. Having these university rankings gives people the impression that these schools at the top are the only schools that can give you the best education. Students can equip knowledge from anywhere. When teens and young adults see this list they feel pressured to get into these top colleges because they see that these are the best schools to go to according to the list. College rankings shouldn’t dictate which college you should attend. Doing your own research about a university you're interested in to determine what factors are important to you and your family are crucial in a college search, not a ranking site.