The New College Rankings Are Coming Soon
It's getting very close to the launch of the new America's Best Colleges rankings. The 2010 edition will be published on Thursday, August 20, which is the day the new rankings go live on our website. The site will have the most complete version of the rankings, tables, and lists, plus extensive profiles on each school. The America's Best Colleges website also will have wide-ranging interactivity as well as a newly upgraded search feature to enable students and parents to find the school that best fits their needs.
These exclusive rankings will also be published in the magazine's September 2009 issue and in our newsstand guidebook, both of which will go on sale around August 20. The main rankings include the national universities, liberal arts colleges, master's universities, and baccalaureate colleges by region. In addition, there will be one new ranking to show which schools have the greatest "commitment to undergraduate teaching." For the second year in row, we will publish the very popular list of "Up-and-Coming Institutions"—the colleges making innovative improvements. In addition, we will have our third annual ranking of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
There will also tables on:
- Top public universities
- Schools whose students graduate with the most and least debt
- Economic diversity on campus
- Ethnic diversity on campus
- Where applying early might help
- Schools that award the most (and least) need-based aid
- Schools whose freshmen are least (and most) likely to return
- Highest graduation rate
- Highest proportion of classes under 20
- Most international students
- Top undergraduate business programs
- Top undergraduate engineering programs
We'll also have Top 100 lists that highlight characteristics to consider when deciding which college is right for you. These lists will be for schools with the:
- Highest acceptance rates
- Highest four-year graduation rates
- Most students living in university housing
- Most students in fraternities and sororities
- Most students receiving merit aid
- Most students studying abroad
- Most transfer students
- Most students over age 25
- Most students commuting to campus
In addition, we have lists, tables, and articles to help you navigate the college application process. They include:
- A+ Schools for B Students, for students who want to go to a good college but don't have straight-A grades
- Paying for College, which shows which schools offer you the best education for the least amount of money and provides other vital information on financial aid and the cost of colleges
- National Survey of Student Engagement, to see what students have to say about their colleges and universities
- Academic Programs to Look for, which notes schools that are outstanding examples of academic programs believed to enhance a student's education.
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On-line University Rankings
I was hoping to see rankings of on-line universities for the first time ... are they still in the works?
What college is really best for your child?
There is so much hype and marketing that surrounds the US News rankings. I think they are great in that it generates interest in going to more selective schools. But, too often these rankings influence a student's decision when choosing college to apply. (Of course, March Madness and the BCS do the same.) But, what is shocking is how many schools are trying to game the ranking formula. Policies like SAT optional are not so benign or benevolent, because often the underlying intention is to boost average SAT scores and get a higher rank in the US News ranking. Likewise, some schools that have actually had the courage to entirely do away with the SAT who were once on the top 50 list are no longer in the top 50. The other thing that bothers me is how many of the smaller schools play second fiddle to the primary top 50 list. Yes, there is the positive aspect of receiving some exposure, but the news that ultimately sells is the front page news. There are many local seminars that offer some free great advice. I have been a big fan of David Kim and Jim Narangajavana of C2 Education (http://www.c2educate.com). They do a yearly college seminar in almost every major metro area twice a year. A lot of things that helped me to send my daughters to Swarthmore and Dartmouth respectively is a direct result of the advice I have received from them. And, equally as important is how to pay for these programs. There is no need to pay thousands of dollars to a college counseling specialist when you have free advice like this readily available. There needs to be more democratization of education if we are to continue to be a great and prosperous nation.
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