Data Collection Begins for 2012 Best Colleges Rankings

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You can already get all of this information for free on the college web sites.

Rick of NJ 10:39AM July 22, 2011

I can't believe I wrote "add" instead of "ad" every time in that post. Just didn't want to seem naive. Guess I need some sleep!

Nick of NY 7:02PM April 02, 2011

Chris,
As the owner of a website with ads, I know that most websites simply use add services like Google's doubleclick. These services examine the content on the page using keywords and try to match adds with the same theme. It makes sense -- someone reading about shoe reviews is likely shopping for shoes, and would be more likely to click a shoe add than a car add. Same applies for schools. Of course I don't actually know if this is the case, but odds are that it is. In that case, USN isn't getting any money from schools, but some add service is which then pays USN to put their adds on the page. Ah, the anonymity of the internet, no?

Nick of NY 7:00PM April 02, 2011

I'm commenting about the Online schools section of the Best Colleges.
While I can appreciate that ad revenues are the lifeblood of most publications, I'm finding it hard to take the rankings seriously when the site pages contain ads from the schools (whether well-ranked or not). I don't doubt the methodology set forth by B. Morse and USNews, but it seems a little strange that advertisements---some even for schools that have been labeled as "questionable" or cited as such by some Morse articles--are plastered everywhere.

Chris H. of NY 1:43PM April 02, 2011

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Morse Code: Inside the College Rankings

Robert Morse is director of data research for U.S.News & World Report and has worked at the company since 1976. He develops the methodologies and surveys for the Best Colleges and Best Graduate Schools annual rankings, keeping an eye on higher-education trends to make sure the rankings offer prospective students the best analysis available. Morse Code provides deeper insights into the methodologies and is a forum for commentary and analysis of college, grad, and other rankings.