US News’s survey system has been touted as one of the most reliable resources for college rankings. However, over the past couple of years, the ranking system has come under scrutiny. As acceptance rates plummet (Harvard is sitting at 3.4%), universities have been accused of sending questionable data to the organization in order to boost their rankings. The top twenty slots have largely remained the same over the past decade, but what has changed for 2024’s new list is the way that state schools are valued within the ranks.

The biggest movers within the top 50 schools have been state schools such as UC Davis (+10), Georgia Tech (+11), Rutgers (+15), University of Washington (+15), Virginia Tech (+15), and Texas A&M (+20!) climbing the ranks. Privates such as NYU (-10), Wake Forest (-18!), Dartmouth (-6), and Vanderbilt (-5) have all dropped significantly.

Why the change?

Certain elements of US News’s previous methodology resulted in a bias toward wealthier, private schools – such as considering alumni contributions as a positive element, while large class sizes were seen as negative. Now, both alumni contributions and class size have been dropped from consideration. The rankings now place a higher emphasis on graduate outcomes and research, and it is especially positive if universities are employing professors who feature in the by-line of important research papers.

All this is to say that the rankings don’t matter very much in the grand scheme of things. Instead of using an institution’s opinion (like US News’s) about what makes a school worth attending (or paying for), you should make your own list of priorities, and go from there. Baseline questions you might ask are:

• What percent of incoming freshmen graduate within four years?
• What is the student:faculty ratio within the department I am interested in?
• Is it a small, liberal arts college, or a large, research university?
• What are the post-graduate resources available for those in my field of interest?
• Where do recent graduates work or study now?
• How much does it cost, and how much are recent graduates earning?

And then you can go on to research from there, refining your list as you go to better suit your own needs and desires in a college experience.

Need Help?

Aristotle Circle provides nose-to-tail college counseling services. Our most popular package includes unlimited access to a NACAC certified college counselor. Visit us at aristotlecircle.com, email us at info@aristotlecircle.com or give us a call at 212-360-2301 to learn more.

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