Columbia University no longer submitting data to US News college ranking
-
Loading... - Chloe Bernard
- 09 Jun 2023
- 70 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Columbia University made an announcement on Tuesday declaring its decision to cease submitting data to U.S. News and World Report for the purpose of ranking undergraduate schools. The university expressed concerns regarding the influence rankings hold over prospective students and the oversimplification of a university's profile into a collection of data categories. According to a release by the Office of the Provost, which included statements from Provost Mary Boyce and other administrators, this approach fails to capture the true essence of the institution.
Previously, Columbia's law, medical, and nursing schools had already chosen not to submit data to U.S. News in their respective categories. One common concern expressed was that the rankings fail to accurately reflect the student experience or the institution's priorities. Consequently, the university arrived at the same conclusion for its undergraduate programs. The release stated, "Considering all these concerns, Columbia will no longer provide data for the U.S. News undergraduate rankings."
Columbia initiated a review process following the challenge of certain data included in its 2021 U.S. News and World Report undergraduate submission. The university initially secured the second position in the list of best colleges for the 2022-2023 rankings. However, it later dropped to 18th place when it was discovered that faulty data had artificially inflated its ranking. As a result, Columbia suspended data submission while it investigated the issue. Other prestigious institutions such as Yale, Harvard, and other top law schools have also withdrawn from the U.S. News and World Report ranking system, leading the outlet to implement changes in its ranking methodology.
In the recent release, Columbia also expressed concerns about the imminent Supreme Court decision regarding affirmative action and race-conscious college admissions policies. The university stated that this development brings them to a pivotal moment that could potentially necessitate a reevaluation of admissions policies in unforeseen ways.
U.S. News responded to Columbia's announcement by acknowledging the value its rankings offer to students nationwide. However, they pointed out that critics tend to attribute all academic issues, including the impending Supreme Court case mentioned by Columbia, to their rankings. The outlet commended Columbia for making data sets for its undergraduate schools publicly available and affirmed that they will continue ranking the university. They emphasized that while rankings should be a factor in students' decision-making process, they should not be the sole determinant.
