College Ranking
The Following Factors of College Ranking
First of all, these ranking systems are dedicated to bring comparison between different colleges existing in the picture. Where To Find Ranking Systems
If you think that search engines are most valuable options for locating US College ranking systems, you must review your thought process. The most practical option for accessing these systems is available in the form of online college directories. These directories index the top ranking colleges on the basis of region, courses, and other deciding factors.
These directories are potent in introducing other factors like admission criterions, entrance examinations and their preparations, distant learning programs, online degree courses, reputation of colleges amongst placement companies and other related issues.
College ranking systems must be treated as sketchers of rough picture on the canvas of your mind. The current college ranking systems provide an easy way for prospective students to see how one institution ranks against another. At least that is what the ranking system is supposed to do, in recent years though there has been some criticism regarding the methodologies used to rank colleges.
What are Admissions Rankings
Before we talk about what is good about the current system and what is not, it is important to understand how colleges are currently ranked in the United States. It is also important to know that there is more than one ranking system available.
The ratings are based on gathered data that take into account the following factors:
- Retention – The graduation rate over a 6-year period, and the retention rate of first year students
- Student Selectivity – A combination of data based on: test scores of students, the percentage of top percentile students admitted, and the student acceptance rate as a whole.
- Faculty Resources - Data that includes the student-faculty ratio, the average salary of faculty members, and the education level of the faculty
- Financial Resources – Average tuition rates per-student
- Graduation Rate Performance – The difference between what the expected rate of graduation was and what the actual graduation rate turned out to be
Peer assessment alone makes 25% of the rating, and that is where the criticism of the US News ranking system comes in.
Even with the criticisms, the current college ranking system does provide a method for students to see how their chosen (or prospective) institution ranks against similar colleges in the country. With other ranking systems popping up each year it is also possible to use the US News rankings in conjunction with a different rating system. Using more than one ranking system will provide a better overall picture when looking at any college.
