<p>While this seems intuitive from a marketing standpoint, this new peer-reviewed paper more specifically spells out how rankings affect applicants' choices. Rankings do matter-- especially to the ranked.</p>
[quote]
There is a comprehensive literature documenting how colleges tuition, financial aid packages, and academic reputations influence students application and enrollment decisions. Far less is known about how quality-of-life reputations and peer institutions reputations affect these decisions. This paper investigates these issues using data from two prominent college guidebook series to measure changes in reputations. We use information published annually by the Princeton Reviewthe best-selling college guidebook that formally categorizes colleges based on both academic and quality-of-life indicatorsand the U.S. News and World Reportthe most famous rankings of U.S. undergraduate programs. Our findings suggest that changes in academic and quality-of-life reputations affect the number of applications received by a college and the academic competitiveness and geographic diversity of the ensuing incoming freshman class.
<p>Plenty of quotable quotes in those articles....heres one to whet your appetite:
[quote]
Being one of the top 25 schools ranked by U.S. News is associated with an increase in applications between 6 and 10 percent. A schools specific numerical ranking does not predict the volume of applications; simply making the list is what causes an increase. Colleges see a 2.3 percent increase in applicants when they make Princeton Reviews Top 20 list for academics.
<p>It is not surprising especially once the ranking organization gains popular consumer credibility. What is also interesting are the colleges that may not be perceived as under-ranked, but remain “brand stalwarts” because of historical brand awareness. You see this great schools high in the global rankings and high in the peer perception rankings. You also see it in other consumer purchasing patterns of brand items.</p>
<p>Ugh, strange Android errors and too late to edit - that should be “colleges that MAY be perceived as under-ranked” and “you see these great schools”…</p>
<p>This is one of the dirty little secrets about rankings that include peer assessment as a factor. As with anything else, throwing money at the problem (i.e., marketing directly to peer institutions) can move the needle by increasing awareness. It’s all really dumb and I can’t believe how many smart people don’t examine the methodology before putting their faith in the results.</p>
<p>The dirty little secret and the Reed Prez quotations are truly old news in the College Selection forum. About every discussion about the rankings and the peer assessment ends up addressing the manipulations by school officials. </p>
<p>The problem is that people could not care less as long as the PA makes their school look good.</p>
Because its the easy way. Why bother to spend effort and time researching colleges when for a few dollars US News has done all the work for you? Or so many seem to believe.</p>
<p>*The dirty little secret and the Reed Prez quotations are truly old news in the College Selection forum. *</p>
<p>Yes xiggi, but just because you & I dont have anything better to do than chat about college applications for the last ten years doesnt mean that new students and families are not just learning about this information.
;)</p>
<p>well said emerald- there are a lot of “newbies” out there who have no understanding of all the behind the scene maneuvering that goes on in the “ranking” business.</p>