Reed's USN Rank Estimated at 54 Places Higher Under a Fair Evaluation

[merc81]

For years, I’ve written about the hidden penalty that U.S. News & World Report imposes on Reed and other rebel colleges who refuse to cooperate with the rankings giant. Now a team of Reed students has come up with a way to estimate the magnitude of the hit.

Their conclusion? If USN faithfully followed its own formula in the 2019 rankings, Reed would be ranked at #36, rather than its assigned rank of #90. In other words, USN pushed the college down a whopping 52 rungs on the ladder because Reed wouldn’t fill out their form . . .

Reed Magazine | Students Find Glaring Discrepancy in US News Rankings
https://www.reed.edu/reed-magazine/articles/2019/usnews-discrepancy.html

[Lindagaf]

Interesting. Which other colleges refuse to cooperate with USNWR?

[merc81]

@Lindagaf: These schools vary from year to year and appear with a footnote in the print edition. In the past they have included Sarah Lawrence and St. John’s (MD).

[Greymeer]

Reed: Doesn’t cooperate with ranking authority.

Also Reed: Complains about ranking.

[merc81]

As of this month, Reed has risen 27 places in USN from the point of reference for the above study. In the context of another college this would suggest dramatic improvements in underlying aspects. In Reed’s case, however, the rise may partly indicate substantive improvements, but its magnitude also underscores the seemingly aleatory ranking positions that USN has assigned to Reed.

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges