Should a university that is more selective in who it enrolls be ranked higher than a university that accepts everyone who applies?
If faculty members are paid more, should they be ranked higher?
And what if a university’s reputation is more highly regarded than another’s? Should the more popular university be ranked higher?
Yes, U.S. News and World Report answers each year when it ranks colleges and universities across the U.S. based on these and other factors.
It’s a ranking that politicians and university presidents are quick to point to when their institutions score favorably.
“Over the past two and a half years, we have made unprecedented investments in UConn to bolster its reputation for academic excellence and cement its status as a leader in higher education, not just in the Northeast but across the country,” Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in 12:15 a.m. press release. His statement came 15 minutes after the U.S. News and World Report embargo to release the information was lifted.
UConn, the state’s flagship university, this year ranked No. 19 among the nation’s 173 public universities included in the report.
When UConn was ranked No. 21 last year, a lower ranking than in the previous year, there was no press release.
When compared with both public and private institutions, UConn ranked No. 57.
Other institutions highly ranked in the U.S. News and World Report include Yale, in third place among public and private universities, Wesleyan University in 17th place and Trinity in 36th place among liberal arts colleges.
Want to see the rankings? Check out this link.
Want more information about what goes into a ranking? Read this comprehensive article in The New Yorker.
Or, even better, determine what criteria matters to you and rank colleges yourself at College Factual.