SAT/ACT scores: Average test scores on both the Critical Reading and Math portions of the SAT and Composite ACT of all enrolled first-time, first-year students entering in fall 2011 are combined for the ranking model. Before being used as a ranking indicator, the scores from both tests are converted to the percentile of the national distribution corresponding to that school's scores on the Critical Reading and Math portions of the SAT and the Composite ACT. The SAT Writing section of the SAT was not used in the ranking model.
For the fourth consecutive year, in order to better represent the entire entering class, we used a value that combines the values of both the Critical Reading and Math portions of the SAT and the Composite ACT of all fall-entering students. A higher average entering class test score on the Critical Reading and Math portions of the SAT and Composite ACT scores better in the ranking model than does lower SAT and ACT test scores.
Student/faculty ratio: This is the ratio of full-time-equivalent students to full-time-equivalent faculty during the fall of 2011, as reported by the school. Note: This excludes faculty and students of law, medical, business, and other stand-alone graduate or professional programs in which faculty teach virtually only graduate-level students. Faculty numbers also exclude graduate or undergraduate students who are teaching assistants. A lower student-to-faculty ratio (fewer students per each faculty member) scores higher in the ranking model than a higher ratio (more students per each faculty member).
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