Dive Brief:
- Washington Monthly’s annual College Guide features a ranking system focusing on social mobility, research, and civic engagement — metrics that few of the traditional elites do well on.
- Harvard and Stanford remain among the top 10 in the rankings, which are otherwise dominated by public research institutions.
- A separate “best bang for the buck” list ranks schools that do the best job of providing low- and middle-income students with high-quality degrees at affordable prices, where City University of New York's Bernard M. Baruch College and Rutgers earn the top spots.
Dive Insight:
Rankings that determine return on investment have gained traction in the last few years, with the U.S. Department of Education drawing more attention to record high rates of student borrowing and political candidates vying for the most generous tuition-free higher education proposals. Payscale has consistently ranked Harvey Mudd College at the top of its ROI ranking. With Washington Monthly, it barely cracks the top 200.
Critics of the various ranking systems point to the destructive power they have over university policy and student decision-making. Unfortunately for many involved, that power does not seem to be waning.