The US News & World Report annual college rankings are popular with many families. However, college admissions professionals have long been critical of both their validity and their undue influence in the college search process. In addition, over the years, multiple institutions have been accused of providing false or misleading information to manipulate these rankings. Students and families are often unaware of the serious flaws in these and some other college rankings systems, and how they can in fact be detrimental to good decision making.
We strongly encourage any family who utilizes these rankings to read the articles below. The first is lengthy, but is considered by many to be the best article to date on the topic. The second is a more simplified take but a quicker read, yet it does serve to summarize some of the core problems of these rankings. While they are both a few years old now, they remain highly informative.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/02/14/the-order-of-things
http://www.vox.com/2014/9/5/6106807/college-rankings-us-news-boston-clemson-problems
We hope you find these articles helpful as you and your family navigate your college search process.
