How U.S. University Rankings Are Calculated – And What They Often Overlook

Choosing a college is a big decision, you may have heard of college rankings in the U.S., and how they’re generated. Rankings allow you to compare colleges, and to learn which ones are generally considered better at certain things.

But determining the order of universities is more complex than just listing a favourite. There are a lot of measurements and studies that are taken into account to come up with these rankings.

How U.S. University Rankings are Calculated

There are a few major organizations that rank American universities. The more well-known are U.S. News & World Report, QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education, and The Princeton Review. Every organization has its own approach to ranking schools.

But a lot of them point to the same things like graduation rates, reputation, or student success. Read this for a simple breakdown on how these rankings are typically compiled.

Reputation and Quality of Program

Reputation is one of the major contributors to university rankings. This refers to the degree to which a school is known and respected by professors, employers and other experts in the field. Institutions frequently send surveys to college leaders and faculty members to find out which schools they believe are the best in certain areas. They also query employers on which universities best serve the workplace.

And although it might seem like a popularity contest, reputation is built on how a university performs over time. A school that has strong teaching, produces important research and graduates successful alumni often receives a higher reputation score. This plank of the ranking tends to be quite influential because it reflects how professionals in the real world perceive a school.

Graduation and Retention Rates

A related key part of the rankings is how well students fare after leaving college. Two numbers that matter, the graduation rate and the retention rate. The graduation rate tells you the percentage of students who complete their conference in a given length of time usually six years. A higher graduation rate is usually a sign that the school is doing a good job supporting the students and enabling them to succeed.

High retention means students are satisfied with their experience and want to keep it going. Rankings factor in both of these numbers to determine how well a college does comparatively at retaining and graduating its students.

Resources of Faculty and Class Size

Rankings also consider faculty quality and the learning environment. One key measure is student-to-faculty ratio, or the number of students per instructor. Lower ratio generally indicates smaller class size and more individual attention from professors. That can result in better learning experiences.

Other faculty-related factors are the proportion of professors holding high academic degrees (Ph. D.s) how much the university is spending on teaching and how accessible to student’s faculty members are. The more full-time faculty a school has, and the smaller the average class, the higher a school tends to rank. Ratings here interpret this as an indication of robust academic encouragement and commitment to learning.

The rankings don’t take place solely within the classroom. They also consider how well students fare after graduation. One thing they’re usually looking at is student outcomes things like job placement rates, salaries after graduation and career success. If a lot of students from one place get great jobs, or go onto top graduate programs, that school generally ends up with a better ranking.

That would include how much an institution is spending per student on textbooks, technology, labs and support services. Affluent schools simply have more money to throw at scholarships, and to create modern facilities. Rankings can take advantage of this as a measure of the quality of students’ lives and support they receive.

Diversity and Social Mobility

In recent years, many rankings have begun incorporating diversity and social mobility. Diversity is a student body as well as faculty that is composed of different races, different countries, diverse backgrounds. A more diverse campus can provide richer learning experiences and let students see the world through different lenses.

Social mobility is the success of students from low-income families. Some do a great job of getting these students through college and into good jobs. Rankings now attempt to credit colleges that provide opportunities to students who may not have had many of them in the past. This makes it easier for students like you to find colleges that serve all learners, not only the wealthy or well connected.

Common Elements of US-American University Ratings

Here’s the list of the most important factors used by ranking organizations:

• Reputation Study: survey of experts and employers
• Graduation rate: The percent of students who graduate on time
• Retention rate: Percentage of first-year students who return
• Quality of faculty: Student/faculty ratio, faculty degrees
• Number of students per class: Average.
• Expenditure per student: Education & service provision
• Research: Publications, grants and innovation
• Student results: employment, grad school, income
• Financial aid: The good that students do (for themselves) with tuition assistance
• Diversity: Varied in race, origins, and nationality
• Social mobility: Low income or first gen support
• Alumni success: Success of former students.

Different lists may weight these factors differently. One might be that reputational weight would be somewhat more important in one of those institutions versus the others, and in another, research or student results.

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