1. Understanding College Rankings Amy VanSurksum, International Officer (USA Midwest & Northeast) University of Glasgow

2.  “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)

3. 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

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

5. Comparing Criteria Times 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%

6. 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

7. 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

8. Comparing Criteria US 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

9. Comparing Criteria US 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

10. Comparing Criteria US News & World Report  Four geographical regions  North  South  Midwest  West

11. 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

12. 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%

13. Special Designations  Historically Black Colleges & Universities  Colleges That Change Lives  Top Public Schools  High School Counselor Rankings  Unranked specialty schools (Arts, Business, Engineering)  More

14. 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

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

16. The Balancing Act  Using rankings as one factor in determining best fit

17. Sources  www.timeshighereducation.co.uk (Times Higher Education World University Ranking) www.timeshighereducation.co.uk  www.topuniversities.com (QS World University Rankings)www.topuniversities.com  www.usnews.com/education (US News & World Report) www.usnews.com/education  www.linkedin.com/edu/rankings/ (LinkedIn) www.linkedin.com/edu/rankings/

18. Thank you!  Questions? Amy VanSurksum amy.vansurksum@glasgow.ac.uk