Anyone concerned? I don’t see a thread about it
I know that Tulane’s new freshmen class is the best in school’s history and the acceptance rate is the lowest in history so they are still attracting academically talented students but overall the school isn’t quite progressing in the manner it which it should apparently. I just found out the last Rhodes Scholar from Tulane was in 1998 which was a shock to me considering the prestige/elite factor associated with Tulane. That definitely isn’t good for Tulane’s reputation which factors into the rankings
I was honestly expecting Tulane to jump up at least 15 to 10 spots. Also LSU and Louisiana Tech dropped spots as well, not a good year for Louisiana colleges
A drop of three spots YOY when USNWR changed the weights of multiple indicators and dropped one indicator compared with last year’s edition is a sign for concern? I don’t believe so. Yes, Tulane’s Class of 2022 was by far its most statistically accomplished and acceptance rate (17%) lowest in its history. However for 2019 the USNWR weights for standardized test scores and class standing were reduced and the indicator for acceptance rate was actually completely eliminated. What replaced the acceptance rate indicator? A “Social Mobility” measure (Pell grant graduation rate).
When you look into the ranking methodology and how it changes over time, it is not at all surprising that relative position may change slightly given that USNWR decides in their infinite wisdom to change indicators and weights based on what they now deem to be more or less “important”. A drop of three spots wouldn’t be concerning just due to natural variability in the data, but when USNWR introduces even more variability into the model by changing the factors considered and their relative weights, I doubt few reasonable people would look at the change and be concerned.
Re: Tulane’s change in ranking from last year: among 2018’s top 50 universities, seven saw drops of five or more places in the 2019 rankings. By contrast, from the 2017 to 2018 rankings, only one top-50 university saw a decline of that magnitude. The change in methodology had a significant impact upon YOY ranking. Still, the expectation of an improvement of 10-15 spots is not realistic if you look historically. No one is making that big of a move toward the top…there is a log jam up there.
TLDR Summary: “No.”