<p>What bigger point is being argued here?
That the US News rankings exaggerate distinctions between the highest-ranked private and public research universities? If so, what part of the formula does that? It’s not the heavily-weighted PA score (which gives high marks to Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas). Alumni giving only counts for 5%. Must be selectivity (15%) and class size (8%), which together count for about as much as the PA, plus graduation rates (another 20%). Which of these don’t really reflect undergraduate academic quality (or prestige) and should count for less?</p>
<p>^^I think we’ve reached the point in the thread where there just isn’t enough to sustain a larger discussion. All the usual suspects have trotted out their positions. It always boils down to whether you think a particular ranking is fair and even if not, whether it’s at the very least informative. YMMV.</p>