<p>When comparing universities through the US News & World Report rankings (and I know that is only one basis for comparing schools; fit, financials, majors also need to be valued in the decision, probably even more than the USNWR #)) how would a low ranked National University compare against a high ranked Regional University? For instance, in Michigan, Western Michigan Univ. is ranked #173 as a National University and Central Michigan University is ranked #194 as a National University. Grand Valley is ranked #26 as a Regional (Mid-West) University. Does a National University trump a Regional? Or is the ranking number of primary importance? I'm sure similar examples exist in every state.</p>
<p>At that level, frankly, rankings don’t matter one iota.</p>
<p>Visit to get a feel for fit and what each school has to offer.</p>
<p>National >> Regional. But I agree that once you get past 100, rankings don’t really matter. </p>
<p>They don’t even pretend to have a scale that compares the two.</p>
<p>Look at the program offerings for each school that interests you. Run the net price calculators to estimate your own costs. Visit the campuses. A National University does not necessarily trump a Regional University. </p>
<p>Overall, in this case specifically, Grand Valley (especially its honors program) is better than either Western or Central. It’s not always that easy though - if you look at National LACs, you’ll see many colleges ranked #100-125 that are as good as Grand Valley (or better, depending on what you’re looking for). Grand Valley and Albion, for example would be comparable academically, and you could probably add Alma. All three would be generous with scholarships. Hope would be better for the sciences than any of those (although its vibe is particular: conservative protestant, so not for everybody) and Kettering would have better placement.
Run the net price calculators on each.</p>