What are some reliable websites to use to compare university major rankings and to see which is better?
IMO rankings are not a good way to compare universities. There are so many different rankings, with so many different variables, that they may not be relevant to you.
USNWR can be a starting off point but there are plenty of others - Forbes, WSJ, Princeton Review, etc…
IMO, you are better off getting a Fiske guide or something of the sort.
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Yeah … reliable doesn’t exist.
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Ranking doesn’t make a campus better. Fit for the student makes it better. What field of interest are you pursuing? Many use https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges
Some use https://www.mastersportal.com/rankings/3/qs-world-university-rankings-topuniversities.html
Some 2023 College Rankings - Niche
Etc etc I might suggest these as guides to come up with names of schools to investigate. Don’t read to much whether a school is ranked 15 vs 30… There could be very little difference in reality. Look at schools that attract you and that has a better fit and feel over ranking. Look for programs that interest you regardless what school they are at. Apply broadly and have many safeties.
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https://collegescorecard.ed.gov allows you to compare programs, costs, etc. https://nces.ed.gov is another good source of information, including crime rates, majors, etc.
Neither provides rankings but both are reliable sources.
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If you have a specific major or field in mind, it can be helpful to ask those within the field. Often the “best” school in a field is not the “best” in any of those overall comparison rankings. They may be a smaller school you’ve never heard of, eg, Eckerd College for Marine Science.
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I have to laugh that many of us posted around the same time and basically are saying the same thing…
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As an opinion, undergraduates should consider the general attributes of a college over major-specific rankings, particularly since major rankings, where available, may be of dubious value. I can think of lots of exceptions to this advice, however. If you are truly uncertain in your own college search, you can view something such as this site: Best Colleges for Biochemistry.
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Depends upon what aspect you are trying to gauge.
US News creates a list based on net cost of attendance after financial aid grants are considered. This list blends in the overall ranking of the school.
US News rankings are composed of about 10 factors–each of which can be used to rank schools by that factor alone (such as first year retention rates).
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They’re only good for broad screening, and maybe not even that. Sure, they’ll tell you the difference between a T20 school and a non-selective school. But depending upon many other factors (intended major, location, size, prospect for financial and merit aid, school culture), a T20 school may be the wrong place for a particular student, vs the T100 school that offers him exactly what he wants.
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I could not agree more!
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