Universities Which Received The Fiske Guide To Colleges 2020 Lowest Academic Rating

College Search & Selection
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The Fiske Guide To Colleges has been published annually for over 30 years. It is the single best college & university resource available, in my opinion.

The 2020 edition of the Fiske Guide To Colleges discusses in depth 324 colleges and universities of which 9 are not in the US. The schools selected for inclusion include all of the 200 selective colleges & universities in the nation. Additional schools were selected for geographic diversity, and to ensure a fair representation of both public and private schools.

Fiske assigns ratings to each school for Academics, Social Life, and Quality of Life. The ratings range from a low of one to a high of five. Ratings also include half ratings so that a school may receive, for example, a rating of four and one half in a particular category.

Because of the stated misperception that the 324 schools included and discussed at length in the Fiske Guide To Colleges are the best 324 schools academically among the more than 2,200 four year schools in the US, I decided to share the school names of the universities which received Fiske’s lowest rating of 2 Pens out of a possible 5 Pens for academics.

Only about two and one half percent (2.5%)-- were awarded 2 Pens for Academics by the Fiske Guide. No schools received an Academic rating below 2 Pens and no schools received an Academic rating of 2.5 Pens.

The 8 schools which received Fiske’s lowest assigned rating among the 324 colleges & universities were all universities. They are:

Auburn University

University of Cincinnati

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Louisiana State University (LSU)

University of Maine–Orono

Univ. of North Carolina at Wilmington

University of Rhode Island

West Virginia University

As with all universities, these schools have some programs that are better than others.

P.S. “Academics” = is a judgment about the overall academic climate of an institution including:

The school’s reputation in the academic world,

The quality of faculty,

The level of teaching & research,

The academic ability of students,

The quality of libraries & other facilities,

And the level of seriousness among students and faculty members.

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The Fiske Guide To Colleges 2020 notes the strong programs at each school. For example: The “Strong Programs” at LSU (Louisiana State University) are:

Biological Sciences;
Chemistry;
Mechanical Engineering;
Business;
Kinesiology;
Landscape Architecture;
Petroleum Engineering;
Coastal Environmental Science.

If I may, I would like to add:

Football & Tailgating.

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How does Fiske judge these, particularly the boldfaced ones above? (The others seem to be the kinds of things used in other rankings.)

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Fiske Guide cautions that these ratings contain subjective elements.

Libraries & other facilities can be assessed by campus visits.

I do not know how Fiske assesses each category, but I do know that the results seem accurate for the schools with which I am familiar.

P.S. After 30 plus years of publishing the Fiske Guide, the editors must have developed a significant number of contacts & receive a tremendous amount of feedback which, I suspect, are part of the analysis.

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“Strong Programs” at Auburn University:

Biomedical Sciences
Accounting
Mechanical Engineering
Finance
Architecture
Wireless Engineering
Environmental Science
Human Development & Family Studies

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“Strong Programs” at West Virginia University:

Exercise Physiology
Biology
Psychology
Nursing
Criminology
Engineering
Business
Forensic Science

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“Strong Programs” at the University of Hawaii–Manoa:

Nursing
Psychology
Biology
Marketing
Astronomy
Pacific and Asian Studies
Tropical Agriculture
Engineering

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There are thousands of schools that aren’t even included in the guide. Does this mean that these are the worst of the best? I’m not sure what the point of this exercise is.

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It is intended to be a breakdown of the academic ratings found in the Fiske Guide To Colleges 2020 that was prompted by another poster’s comment that if the school was included in the Fiske Guide, then it must be among the top 324 colleges & universities. This is not true as Fiske includes many schools beyond the top 200 for various reasons including geographical diversity & to ensure a mix of public & private schools.

Otherwise, it is to point out the strong programs at the schools which received a poor academic rating.

Hopefully, some will find this thread to be informative & useful; if not, then there are many other threads on CC for readers to enjoy.

P.S. Before writing this thread, I did not know that one could major in “Tropical Agriculture” at the Univ. of Hawaii or anywhere.

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All of the universities listed in this thread received a Fiske Guide rating of “2 Pens” for Academics. This is the lowest rating given for Academics among the 324 colleges & universities discussed in the Fiske Guide To Colleges 2020.

Fiske notes:

“In general, an academics rating of three pens suggests that the institution is a solid one that easily meets the criteria for inclusion in a guide devoted to the top 10 percent of colleges and universities in the nation.”

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@me29034: I suspect that many parents may find this thread useful in assessing the choices for their sons’ & daughters’ education.

For example, many students enter college undecided as to a major area of study. It is easy to be attracted to a campus seemingly full of happy students. Quite often I hear of perplexed parents trying to help their student decide among schools which are ranked among the top 20 in the nation and a major public university which is best known for reasons other than academics.

Expert insight & assessments can be quite helpful for students & parents undecided about one’s major.

As a parent & as a consumer, I value these experienced insights by an expert in the field.

P.S. On a personal level, I find this exercise to be helpful because the Fiske Guide does not give a summary of or breakdown of schools by assigned ratings.

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“Strong Programs” at the University of Cincinnati:

Business Administration
Marketing
Health Professions
Engineering
Visual & Performing Arts
Architecture & Design
Music
Nursing

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“Strong Programs” at UNC-Wilmington:

Marine Biology
Psychology
Biology
Nursing
Education
Business
Social Work
Film Studies

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“Strong Programs” at the University of Maine–Orono (which is aggressively recruiting out-of-state students) are:

Business Management
Mechanical Engineering
Psychology
Marine Sciences
Forestry
Earth & Climate Sciences
Nursing
Kinesiology and Physical Education

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“Strong Programs” at the University of Rhode Island:

Psychology
Communication Studies
Kinesiology
Nursing
Pharmacy
Engineering
Business
Marine Sciences

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Do the schools with which you are familiar include any of these “two pen” schools?

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This thread provides information which some may find helpful & interesting.

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I’d like a rating for the 325th school…

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I think that you miss one of the main points for this thread. Just because a school appears among the 324 schools discussed in the Fiske Guide To Colleges 2020 does not mean that it is a compilation of the top 324 schools.

Fiske makes clear that all 200 selective US colleges & universities are included in this guide. Other schools are included for various reasons among which are geographical diversity & to ensure a fair mix of public & private schools.

What you are seeking probably can be found in the US News Best Colleges guide.

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I have found this information helpful. My S22 and D22 (twins!) have started looking at colleges, and UNCW was among them. It would be a safety school for them most likely. However, UNCW getting such a low rating academically by Fiske does make us consider taking it off our list. We need to narrow down the list anyway.
My S22 is interested in education and marine biology, and my D22 is interested in film studies. Since these are among the strong programs there, do you think that negates the overall low academic rating? Would UNCW’s education major program be comparable to the education programs at colleges such as Susquehanna Univ in PA, Goucher College in MD, and Longwood University in VA? For film studies, would UNCW be comparable to Wagner College in NY, Champlain College in VT, and Ramapo College in NJ? We live in VA btw.

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