Understanding College Rankings

Amy VanSurksum, International Officer (USA Midwest & Northeast)University of Glasgow

“The host of intangibles that makes up the college experience can’t be measured by a series of data points.” (US News & World Report, 2014)

Who’s #1 (and why) World rankings National rankings Regional rankings Public & Private institutional rankings Rankings by faculty/subjects Rankings by special designation And more

Major Players in Rankings Times World Rankings QS World University Rankings US News & World Report LinkedIn(!)

Comparing CriteriaTimes Higher Education World Rankings Teaching 30% Research (volume, income and

reputation: 30% Citations (research influence): 30% Industry income (innovation): 2.5% International outlook: 7.5%

Times Higher Education Rankings World University Rankings

Not fewer than 200 publications per year World Reputation

Subjective: 100 most powerful global university brands

Asia University 100 Under 50 BRICS & Emerging Economies

Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa

QS World Rankings Rankings by faculty, subject Latin America, BRICS, Asia, 50 under 50 Best Student Cities Criteria: Academic reputation, employer

reputation, faculty-student, international faculty, international students, & citations per faculty

Comparing CriteriaUS News & World Report

National Universities Doctoral granting; emphasize faculty

research National Liberal Arts Colleges

At least 50% of degrees awarded in arts & sciences; undergraduate teaching focus

*Only these two categories include rankings by school counselors

Comparing CriteriaUS News & World Report Regional Universities

Master’s granting, but few Doctoral degrees Regional Colleges

Focus on undergraduate education Fewer than 50% of degree awarded in

liberal arts Includes bachelor’s degree-granting

institutions granting primarily two-year degrees

Comparing CriteriaUS News & World Report Four geographical regions

North South Midwest West

US News & World Report Criteria 16 indicators of academic excellence Ranked against peer institutions Excluded if: not using SAT or ACT in

admission decisions; too few respondents from peer assessments; fewer than 200 student enrollment; disproportionately non-tradition or no-first-year students

US News & World Report Undergraduate academic reputation: 22.5% Retention: 22.5% Faculty resources (class size, faculty salary,

highest degrees, student-faculty ratio, full time faculty): 20%

Student selectivity (SAT/ACT scores, top 10%, acceptance rate): 12.5%

Financial resources: 10% Graduation rate performance: 7.5% Alumni giving rate: 5%

Special Designations Historically Black Colleges & Universities Colleges That Change Lives Top Public Schools High School Counselor Rankings Unranked specialty schools (Arts,

Business, Engineering) More

The newest ranking: LinkedIn Career success (as determined by

LinkedIn) Collects college graduation information

of users Identifies “top” companies Looks for graduates who have jobs in

top companies, and where they graduated from

Who Cares? Parents Students School Administrators Employers Graduate & Professional Schools School Counselors

The Balancing Act Using rankings as one factor in

determining best fit

Sources www.timeshighereducation.co.uk (Times

Higher Education World University Ranking)

www.topuniversities.com (QS World University Rankings)

www.usnews.com/education (US News & World Report)

www.linkedin.com/edu/rankings/ (LinkedIn)

Thank you! Questions?

Amy VanSurksumamy.vansurksum@glasgow.ac.uk