US News' Best Colleges Rankings (National Universities) Methodology
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Earlier we have discussed the business ranking methodology by US News and the best global universities rankings by US news. In this article of simplifying the methodology used by the renowned ranking publishers, we will discuss how US News calculated the best colleges’ rankings. US News has been publishing these rankings for the last 36 years. They assessed more than 1400 higher education institutions in the US on different parameters. During this process, they have taken feedback from researchers, education experts, and academicians.
Ranking indicators
Ranking indicators used by the US News to calculate best colleges' (national universities) rankings and weightage given to each indicator.
| US News Ranking Indicators |
Weightage |
| Graduation and retention rates |
22% |
| Social mobility |
5% |
| Graduation rate performance |
8% |
| Undergraduate academic reputation |
20% |
| Faculty resources for the current academic year |
20% |
| Student selectivity for the current entering class |
7% |
| Financial resources per student |
10% |
| Average alumni giving rate |
3% |
| Graduate indebtedness |
5% |
| Total |
100% |
Let us understand these indicators:
Graduation and retention rates
This is one of the most important indicators of measuring the school's performance by the success of retaining and graduating students. Here, US News analyses the proportion of students completing the degree in six years or less.
Graduation rate performance: US News analyses the university's six-year graduation rate. It averages graduation rate data for two years and compares it with its own prediction for those years.
Social mobility: This indicator measures graduated students who received federal subsidies (Pell grants). These federal grants are given to students with a family incomes of less than $50,000. Usually, Pell grants are given to students with family incomes of less than $20,000.
(Pell Grant is a subsidy given by the US federal government to students with financial needs.)
Graduate indebtedness: US News has recently added this indicator. This indicator analyses the average amount of debt accumulated among the graduating class. The graduate program's affordability and the value of the graduate program are big factors among students.
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Faculty Resources: US News measures this factor using five indicators class size, student-faculty ratio, faculty salary, the proportion of full-time faculty, and faculty with the highest degree in their respective fields.
Expert opinion: Opinions of experts and academicians matter, as they are the ones who closely follow the quality of the university's teaching. In this indicator, US News analyses the opinion of the academics.
Financial resources: US News analyses the financial resources of the college by measuring per-student spending. The spending indicates how much a wide variety of programs a college can offer. Also, it takes into account the per-student spending on research, instruction, and other educational expenditures.
Student Excellence: The academic atmosphere of a university is measured by its admissions. Candidates with high grades and standardized test scores have the highest chances of getting admission. In this factor, US News analyses the average test (SAT and ACT) scores of candidates. US News also considers the high school scores of candidates.
Alumni giving: Here, US News measures the percentage of alumni having bachelor's degrees who give (donations) to their schools. This indicator measures the graduates' satisfaction level.
Apart from the US best colleges rankings, US News also publishes other prominent rankings like best global universities rankings and best business school rankings.
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| Program | Minimum GPA Required (on a scale of 4.0) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate | 2.5 - 3.0 |
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