Princeton Again Tops College Ratings – What Does it Mean?

U.S. News & World Report is at it again. They have released their annual list of top colleges in America. In what is certainly no shock to anyone breathing, Princeton once again holds the top spot in the college rankings with fellow IVY Leaguers Harvard and Yale at two and three respectively.

For Princeton, it was the eighth straight year the school has either tied or held the top slot alone.

While there is no doubt the above mentioned schools are representative of an American post-secondary system that is second to none, the fact that these private, heavily endowed schools rate so high is because of the criteria used. With factors that include alumni giving rates and the controversial reputation assessment by peer institutions, it is no wonder which school ranks at the top.

Even the use of retention rates seems amiss with these schools. Being able to select from the best one or two students from high schools across the country and having virtually unlimited resources of support, these institutions should be penalized if they have anything less than a 100% retention rate.

We agree with Yuval who wrote a while back:

“Due to a rapid increase in authority, the rankings heavily favor private institutions, which are more aggressive at gaming the system. ” what’s new?

However, it does appear that many colleges have clearly bought into the ranking concept. We read where Baylor has made rising in the U.S. News rankings an explicit goal and about the president of Arizona State having a financial incentive based upon improved ratings in his contract.

We sit firmly in support of the many public, state universities that exist across America, most at a third of the price.