Understanding College Rankings

When it comes time to actually deciding which college a person is going to attend, one of the most commonly used tools is the yearly college rankings. While these rankings are a fantastic tool to help you make your decision, there is a slight problem inherent with the college ranking system—you have to actually understand what is being ranked.

On the surface this may seem like a fairly easy task, but once again there is a slight problem with the vast majority of college ranking systems—the criteria used in the various rankings systems are almost entirely subjective. Understanding college rankings is easy as long as you remember this. Here are some of the most commonly used items in the ranking systems, and why they are used.

• Type of school. Probably the one item that has the single largest impact on the ranking system is the type of school. When looking at the type of school, many different things are considered. Some of these items include things like whether it is a college or university, public or private, religious affiliation or secular based.
• Acceptance rate. How many people are accepted into the school and its various programs, are going to help determine its rankings. This is another area where there can be a wide range of permutations that are used when determining this ranking. Some of these permutations could include age, race, and gender. While these factors are not often allowed to be considered when choosing the students, they are used to track the acceptance ratios of the schools in question.
• Average age. It can seem a little strange, but this is actually something that is utilized in determining a school's ranking. There does tend to be the perception that the older the average age, the more "studious" or "scholarly" the school, while conversely the younger the age then the more likely it is going to be viewed as a party school.
• Housing rates. Housing is always going to be one of the most important items when it comes to ranking a college or university. What percentage of enrolled students live in dorms, student family housing, on campus or off campus can all help a person determine whether or not the school in question can meet their particular needs.
• Programs. What type of academic, athletic, and extracurricular programs are offered by the school also help to determine a schools ranking. Some schools have a historically strong emphasis on athletics, whereas others have an equally strong history in academics, while still other schools have gained national attention for pioneering new community outreach programs that help give their students real world experience while also benefiting the local and national community.
• Cost. Usually the single most important item of importance to any prospective student is the cost. The average cost for tuition is tallied for the different academic programs usually ranked on the perceived "worth" of the education offered by that institution. These rankings are usually broken down by two-year, undergraduate and post-graduate degrees or programs.

In the end, when it comes to utilizing college rankings the prospective student needs to use it as a tool, not as the single determining factor. Use the statistics provided in the college ranking guides to help you determine what questions you should ask when you talk to admissions counselors and go for the campus visit. Simply put, use it to help make up your mind, not let them make it for you.