college rankings and what you need to know€¦ · college rankings and what you need to know smith...
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![Page 1: College Rankings and What You Need to Know€¦ · College Rankings and What You Need to Know Smith and US News Fall 2014 . US News & World Report America’s Best Colleges: History](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022053002/5f06a4d77e708231d419048f/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
College Rankings and What You Need to Know
Smith and US News Fall 2014
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US News & World Report America’s Best Colleges:
History and Methodology
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US News Rankings: History • Began in 1983 as a reputation survey; expanded to further data
collection • Institutions ranked based on Carnegie Classifications; Smith is ranked
among National Liberal Arts Colleges • Methodology changes since 2007
– Reduction in weight of selectivity, increase in grad rates – Addition of Pell Grants into graduation rate model – Addition of high school counselor reputation ratings – Increase in weight of graduation rate performance – Decrease in weight of reputation survey
• In recent years, multiple institutions have admitted publicly to providing false data to US News.
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US News: Where Smith Ranks and Why
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19 20 18 19
14
18 18 17 19 19
13 15
13 14 12 13
11
14 12
10
13
9 10 10 9 7 7
14
0
5
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25
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2015201420132012201120102009200820072006200520042003200220012000199919981997199619951994199319921991199019891988
Smith US News Ranking
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US News: Top Liberal Arts Colleges 2015 (Published September 2014)
• Williams (1) • Amherst (2) • Swarthmore (3) • Wellesley (4) • Bowdoin (5) • Pomona (5) • Middlebury (7) • Carleton (8) • Claremont McKenna (8) • Haverford (8) • Davidson (11) • Vassar (11) • USNA “Annapolis” (13)
• Washington and Lee (14) • Colby (15) • Hamilton (15) • Harvey Mudd (15) • Wesleyan (15) • Bates (19) • Grinnell (19) • Smith (19)
Also: • Bryn Mawr (27) • Barnard (32) • Mount Holyoke (41)
4
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30.0%
22.5%
20.0%
12.5%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
Graduation andRetention
Reputation Score Faculty Resources Selectivity FinancialResources
Alumni Giving
Weight in Ranking
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US News: What Matters? • Reputation Survey
– Peer ratings and guidance counselor ratings. • Graduation and Retention
– The percentage of first-year students who graduate in 6 years or less. – The percentage of first-year students who are still enrolled the following fall.
• Financial Resources – Educational Expenditures per Student: Funds spent on research, public service, instruction, academic
support, student services, institutional support, and operations and maintenance, adjusted for the percent of students that are undergraduate.
• Faculty resources: – Faculty Salaries: Salary plus fringe benefits for all faculty, adjusted for cost of living in area. (Another
spending measure). – Faculty composition: The percentage that are full-time, with top terminal degree. – Class size: Percent of fall classes under 20 students and 50+.
• Selectivity – Admit rate, SAT scores, class rank of entering students.
• Alumnae Giving – Percent of alumnae of record who donated in any amount in a given year.
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US News: What Matters?
“Spend money.
As much as possible. Mostly on faculty.”
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Alumni Giving (36)
Graduation and Retention (35)
Selectivity (31)
Financial Resources (19)
Faculty Resources (29)
Reputation (10)
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
Sub-rank Relative to Overall Rank 2015
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What Goes Into the Rankings
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US News Rankings and Sub-Rankings
Smith Overall , 19
Peer Assessment, 10
Grad/Retention, 35
Faculty Resources, 29 Selectivity, 31
Financial Resources, 19
Alumni Giving, 36
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
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Reputation 22.5%
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US News Rankings
Smith Overall , 19
Peer Assessment, 10
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
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US News Reputation Survey
*Peer assessment score changed in 2011 to 100-point scale; data for 11-13 are converted to 5-point scale. HS Counselor scores have only been released since 2014.
4.3 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.4 4.2 4.3 4.2 4.2
4.4 4.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011* 2012* 2013* 2014 2015
Peer Assessment HS Counselor Assessment
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Graduation and Retention 30%
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US News Rankings
Smith Overall , 19
Peer Assessment, 10
Grad/Retention, 35
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
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Six-Year Graduation Rates (Four-year Averages)
84% 84%
86% 86% 87%
86% 85% 85% 85% 85%
75%
80%
85%
90%
95%
100%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Note: Scale 75-100%
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First-Year Retention ( Four-year Average)
91% 91% 91% 90% 90% 91% 91%
92% 92% 93%
75%
80%
85%
90%
95%
100%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Note: Scale 75-100%
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Predicted vs. Actual Graduation Rate
85%
83%
81% 82%
83% 82% 82% 82%
81% 82% 84%
86% 85%
86%
88%
84% 85% 85% 85%
86%
75%
80%
85%
90%
95%
100%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Predicted Graduation Rate Actual Graduation Rate
Note: Scale 75-100%
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Faculty Resources 20%
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US News Rankings
Smith Overall , 19
Peer Assessment, 10
Grad/Retention, 35
Faculty Resources, 29
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
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Classes With <20 Students
68%
71% 70%
68% 69%
67% 68%
66%
68% 68%
50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Note: Scale 50-75%
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Additional Faculty Resource Inputs
• Faculty salaries, including benefits (up 2.6%) • Percent of faculty with terminal degree (99%) • Classes with 50+ students (5%) • Student/faculty ratio 9:1 • Percent of faculty that are full-time (97%)
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Selectivity 12%
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US News Rankings
Smith Overall , 19
Peer Assessment, 10
Grad/Retention, 35
Faculty Resources, 29 Selectivity, 31
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
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Average SAT Scores
1270 1263 1250 1270 1274
1300 1306 1309 1309 1333
1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
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Admit Rate
57%
48%
53% 52%
48% 47% 47%
45% 42% 43%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Note: Scale 25-75%
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Entering Students in Top 10%
59% 61% 61%
63% 64% 66%
60% 61%
68%
62%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
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Financial Resources 10%
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US News Rankings
Smith Overall , 19
Peer Assessment, 10
Grad/Retention, 35
Faculty Resources, 29 Selectivity, 31
Financial Resources, 19
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
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Educational Expenditures per Student
$42,758 $42,284 $42,710 $44,132 $47,378
$50,008 $50,719 $51,422 $51,922 $55,300
$-
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
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Alumnae Giving 5%
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US News Rankings
Smith Overall , 19
Peer Assessment, 10
Grad/Retention, 35
Faculty Resources, 29 Selectivity, 31
Financial Resources, 19
Alumni Giving, 36
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
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Alumnae Giving Rate (Two-Year Avg)
41%
35% 36% 38%
40% 40% 38%
36% 35% 35%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Note: Scale 0-50%
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The Rankings in Context
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Smith vs. Sisters 2015
Smith
Wellesley
Bryn Mawr
Mount Holyoke
Overall Rank 19 4 27 41 Overall Score 84 93 80 73 Reputation Score 4.2 4.4 4.0 4.0
Graduation and Retention Rank 35 12 50 50 Average Freshman Retention Rate 93% 96% 91% 91% Predicted Graduation Rate 82% 91% 85% 83% Actual Average Graduation Rate 86% 91% 84% 82% Over-performance/ Under-performance 4 0 -1 -1
Faculty Resources Rank 29 9 25 76 % of Classes with fewer than 20 students 68% 73% 75% 66% % of Classes with 50 or more Students 5% 0.4% 3% 4% Student/Faculty Ratio 9/1 7/1 8/1 10/1 Selectivity Rank 31 8 28 60 Standardized Test Score 1220-1450 1310-1510 1210-1470 1220-1430 First-years in Top 10% of HS Class 62% 83% 65% 57% Acceptance Rate 43% 29% 40% 47% Financial Resources Rank 19 8 19 38 Alumni Giving Rank 36 11 25 48 Average Alumni Giving Rate 35% 47% 38% 31%
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Smith and the Rankings
• There is widespread frustration with US News, but it can’t be ignored.
• Top weighted inputs: – Graduation/retention rates – Reputation scores – Faculty resources
• Smith is strong in reputation and financial resources. • Smith is weaker on alumnae giving and graduation
rates.
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Reality of Rankings
• Peers are tightly clustered; many multi-way ties. – In 2015, ties for 5th, 8th (3-way tie), 11th, 15th (4-way tie),
19th, 24th, and 27th (all 3-way ties). – In 2014, ties for 4th (3-way tie), 7th, 9th (3-way tie), 14th,
17th (3-way tie), 20th, 22nd, 25th (5-way tie). • Measures are highly constrained, largely by economic
factors. • Movement in rankings has been accomplished by a handful
of lower-ranked schools, but requires focused, costly efforts; top 10 is highly stable.
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Efforts to Affect Rankings
• Most movement within 1-2 slots up or down is noise.
• Significant effort is required for small moves. • Movement gets harder nearer the top. • Any of these efforts entail significant financial
expenditures.
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Talking about Rankings • Rankings largely measure inputs, not what happens in the
classroom or the graduates we produce. • US News strongly rewards institutional wealth and expenditures. • Small changes can have what appear to be large effects on an
individual school’s ranking. • All the top schools work on the same measures to stay on top. • Managing rankings metrics to promote improvement has been
demonstrated to be expensive and sometimes unethical (Emory, Claremont McKenna, George Washington, Bucknell, Tulane).
• Rankings don’t measure success in achieving the mission.
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27%
47%
53%
56%
85%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Rankings in national magazines
I was offered finanical assistance
This college's graduates get good jobs
Graduates admitted to top grad/prof schools
Has a very good academic repuation
Percent of Entering Students Marking Reason for Choosing Smith as Very Important: 2013