Coming Soon: 2017 Best Colleges Rankings
In just three weeks, on Tuesday, Sept. 13, U.S. News will release the 2017 edition of the Best Colleges rankings. The U.S. News rankings focus on academic excellence, with schools ranked on up to 15 measures of academic quality. The new edition will include rankings of the four big categories -- National Universities, National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities and Regional Colleges -- all available on usnews.com.
U.S. News groups colleges into categories, based on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, to compare schools with similar missions. In February 2016, Carnegie, which is the most widely accepted classification system in U.S. higher education, released official updates -- called the "2015 Update" -- including to the Basic Classification used in the U.S. News rankings.
As a result, for the 2017 edition of Best Colleges, around 12 percent of ranked schools have moved into different categories; for example, a university categorized previously as a Regional University may now be a National University.
In addition to the rankings, prospective students and parents will have access to extensive statistical profiles for each school, a comprehensive college search and detailed explanations of the ranking methodologies. Users can sign up for the U.S. News College Compass to receive additional data, enhanced search abilities and other exclusive interactive tools.
U.S. News will also publish these exclusive rankings in the " Best Colleges 2017" guidebook, which will start shipping in mid-September and be available on newsstands on Oct. 4.
For the second consecutive year, the new rankings will identify the most innovative colleges and universities, in addition to longstanding rankings such as the schools that U.S. high school counselors rate most highly and the schools with the greatest commitment to undergraduate teaching. U.S. News will also offer the annual rankings of historically black colleges and universities, undergraduate business programs and undergraduate engineering programs.
In addition, prospective students and parents can access lists, tables and articles that will help them navigate the college application process. Some of these include:
-- Best Value Schools, which lists the colleges that offer the best value for students getting need-based financial aid
-- A-plus Schools for B Students, a list of options for students who don't have straight-A grades but want to go to a good college
-- Paying for College guide, which provides vital information on managing college costs via savings, scholarships, loans and more
Users will also be able to see lists of:
-- The top public schools
-- Schools where students graduate with the most or least debt (College Compass subscription required)
-- Campuses with economic diversity, based on the percent of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants
-- Campuses with ethnic diversity
-- Academic programs to look for, such as study abroad, internships/co-ops and undergraduate research/creative projects
-- Schools that award the most merit aid
-- Schools where freshmen are most (and least) likely to return
-- Schools with the highest four-year graduation rates
-- Schools with the highest proportion of classes with fewer than 20 students (College Compass subscription required)
-- Schools with the most international students
Via U.S. News Academic Insights, school officials can access more Best Colleges rankings and data, including historical information about their own school and peer institutions. College or graduate school representatives can learn more about the Academic Insights tool online or request a demo.
Robert Morse is chief data strategist at U.S. News, where he develops the methodologies and surveys for annual education rankings, including Best Colleges and Best Graduate Schools.
