Universities Weblog

Sick and tired of college rankings? Didn't think so.

Neither are the several professors who ganged up to create yet another ranking system. This time, institutions are evaluated based on how often top students choose them in head-to-head battles. For instance, if a student is admitted to Duke, Princeton and Columbia and chooses Duke, then Duke somehow scores points (we're still fuzzy on exactly how). Colleges that win these battles most often fare best. Not surprisingly, Harvard came out on top. We could have predicted that given the university's high yield rate (percentage of admitted students matriculating), but I suppose these researchers needed something to do.

The authors of the study also found that their list doesn't neatly correspond to the one in U.S. News. Many high-ranking colleges in the magazine, which uses more objective data, fell dramatically in this survey.

Sound like a popularity contest? Absolutely. But the authors suggest that despite its limitations, the study gives students "useful information." Toilet paper, I might add, is also useful.

Did you enjoy this article?