Average and Year by Year U.S. News Rankings for 123 National Universities, 2017–2024. Big Changes!

This is our annual summary of US News rankings of national universities across the most recent eight-year period. We have other posts and pages on this site with US News statistics going back to 1983. In all the years we have surveyed the rankings, the 2024 has brought the most dramatic changes. The main reason is a much greater emphasis on metrics of social mobility and related outcomes versus traditional metrics of test scores, class sizes, and institutional wealth.

Some critics of the rankings, and they are legion, claim that US News changes its methodology so frequently that year to year comparisons are almost meaningless. And it is certainly striking that the flagship universities of Kentucky, Alabama, and Nebraska could have fallen 73, 63, and 48 places respectively between 2017 and 2024. Yet the new rankings are a boost to many public universities, whose rankings as a whole have risen an average of four places since 2021 and almost two places since 2017.

Indeed, when compared to rankings for 2017, eleven public universities have gained at least 20 places, led by UC Riverside with a gain of 42 places. Rutgers, NC State, Stony Brook, and Oregon all rose 30 or more places.

Most complaints have come from private universities–and with reason. The average 2024 rankings for the 62 private universities in our continuing survey declined by a whopping 14 points since 2017 and by 8 points since last year. Although the most dramatic declines have occurred for private universities ranked out of the top 50 in most years, even elite institutions such as Chicago, Dartmouth, and Columbia have dropped 9, 7, and 7 points respectively during that timeframe.

“With rankings, sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug,” consultant Teresa Valerio Parrot pithily explained to the influential site Inside Higher Ed (IHE). “I feel like we got to see a number of institutions who in the past have either been silent or have praised where they are in the rankings, and with this year’s methodology change suddenly have objections and grievances … that’s not really a great look.”

In the same piece, Christopher Newfield, a higher education scholar and the research director of the Independent Social Research Foundation in London, said that now “the product that’s being sold is social mobility. That’s an improvement over status and prestige. But neither of those things are about the intellectual, nonpecuniary benefits of a college education.”

Nothing other than a dramatic shift in methodology can explain a one-year drop of 18 points for Wake Forest, 29 points for Tulane, 26 points for Brigham Young, and 33 points for American.

The view here is that the most successful universities overall are those who combine a commitment to social mobility and academic excellence with sufficient resources to achieve both goals. Many elite private universities fall into this category and will continue to receive high rankings. Some private universities that have done well in the past will have to adjust to the new metrics, a difficult task if the resources are lacking.

As for public universities, the UC system has for years operated according to these principles and still rises in the rankings. Florida and North Carolina are notable for providing excellent academics at low cost. UT Austin, UW Madison, UIUC, UW Seattle, Georgia, Maryland, and Ohio State have had some ups and downs in the rankings but now seem to be operating pursuant to goals that also align well with the new metrics. For years we have criticized US News for its over-emphasis on wealth metrics. Now we say congratulations for developing a methodology with much better balance.

Below is the table showing the ranking changes from 2017 to 2024. Universities are listed in order of their 2024 rank.

US News 2016--202320172018201920202021202220232024Avg RankDif 2017-2024
Princeton1111111110
MIT753342223.55
Harvard222222332.25-1
Stanford557666335.1252
Yale333345353.625-2
Penn888688767.3752
Caltech121012129997105
Duke898101291079.1251
Johns Hopkins1011101099799.3751
Northwestern1211109991099.8753
Brown14141414141413913.255
Chicago3336666125.625-9
Cornell151416171817171215.753
Columbia55333218126.375-7
UCLA242119202020201519.8759
UC Berkeley202122222221201520.3755
Rice151416171617151715.875-2
Dartmouth111112121313121812.75-7
Vanderbilt151414171414131814.875-3
Notre Dame151818151919182017.75-5
Michigan2728272524232521256
Georgetown202022242323222222-2
North Carolina303030292828292228.258
Washington Univ191819191614152418-5
Emory202122212120222421.375-4
Carnegie Mellon242525252625222424.50
Virginia242525282625252425.250
USC232122222427252824-5
Florida504235343028292834.522
UC San Diego444241373534342836.87516
UC Davis444638393938382838.7516
UT Austin565649484238383244.87524
UC Irvine3942333635363433366
Georgia Tech343435293538443335.251
NYU363030293028253530.3751
UC Santa Barbara373730343028323532.8752
UW Madison444649464242383542.759
Illinois4452464847474135459
Boston College313238373536363935.5-8
Tufts272927293028324030.25-13
Washington 545659625859554055.37514
Rutgers706956626363554059.7530
Boston Univ393742404242414340.75-4
Ohio St545456545349494351.511
Purdue605656575349514353.12517
Maryland606163645859554357.87517
Wake Forest272727272828294730-20
Rochester323433293434364734.875-15
Georgia 565446504748494749.6259
Lehigh444653504949514748.625-3
Virginia Tech746976747475624768.87527
Texas A&M746966706668674765.87527
William & Mary323238403938415339.125-21
Case Western373742404242445342.125-16
Northeastern394044404949445344.75-14
Florida St928170575855555365.12539
Minnesota716976706668625366.87518
Connecticut605663646363675861.752
Stony Brook96978091889377588538
Brandeis343435404242446041.375-26
RPI394249505355516049.875-21
NC State928180848079726078.532
Penn State505259576363776060.125-10
Michigan St82818584808377607922
U of Miami444653574955556753.25-23
Syracuse606153545859626759.25-7
Pitt686870575859626763.6251
George Washington565663706663626762.875-11
UMass Amherst747570646668676768.8757
Tulane394044404142447345.375-34
Indiana869089797668727379.12513
Binghamton868780798883837382.37513
Pepperdine504646504949557652.625-26
Stevens Inst Tech716970748083837675.75-5
UC Riverside11812485918883897694.2542
Col School of Mines827580848883897682.1256
Univ at Buffalo999789798893897688.7523
Delaware798189919793897686.8753
WPI606159646663678265.25-22
UC Santa Cruz7981708497103838284.875-3
Clemson666766707475778672.625-20
Marquette869089848883838686.1250
SMU566163646668728967.375-33
Fordham606170746668728970-29
Baylor717578797675779378-22
Iowa827889848883839385-11
Auburn9910311510797999793101.256
Drexel1119712413213312710593115.2518
TCU827880978083899885.875-16
San Diego869085918893979891-12
Oregon12911511511710311710598112.37531
Illinois Tech11112012913912412212798121.2513
Yeshiva6694809776686710581.625-39
American7169787776797210578.375-34
Colorado 96941069710310397105100.125-9
Saint Louis10310310210410399105105103-2
Tennessee929796121118117115105107.625-13
Arizona St9910389104112103121105104.5-6
Brigham Young6861637780798911579-47
Howard1241108910480838911599.259s
Arizona12412410611797103105115111.3759
Iowa St10310396117124122127115113.375-12
New Hampshire124120129139143127137115129.259
Denver86879697809310512496-38
South Carolina111115119121118122115124118.125-13
Missouri118115129130124122121124122.875-6
Oklahoma111110106125133136127124121.5-13
Miami Oh7978899110310310513397.625-54
Vermont107103106104118117121133113.625-26
Dayton133133147132133127127133133.1250
Clark748166911031039714294.625-68
Loyola Chicago103103115104112103115142112.125-39
Clarkson969410297133103127142111.75-46
Pacific111124129139133136151142133.125-31
Kansas129124102117124127121151124.375-22
Michigan Tech129124140166153148151151145.25-22
Colorado St135133147153160148151151147.25-16
Kentucky8687106121143136137159121.875-73
Nebraska111124127132133127151159133-48
Alabama107103106125143148137170129.875-63
Catholic118124136147153148176178147.5-60
Arkansas135133147153160160176178155.25-43
Tulsa103110129153143148137195139.75-92
TOTAL AVG62.568.765.06-6.22

 

 

 

US News Academic Reputation Score Changes, 2015 vs 2023, vs National Rankings

One of the most controversial aspects of the U.S. News national university rankings is the use of “undergraduate academic reputation” scores based on the “expert opinion” of the 43.6 percent of college presidents, deans, and provosts who actually return the peer assessment documents to U.S. News. Each response rates a university’s academic reputation on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score.

The academic reputation category itself counts for 20 percent of the total ranking, a hefty impact indeed. Since 2015, the mean scores for 99 national universities have risen by .14, from 3.67 to 3.81, or almost 4 percent. A rise or fall of .1 or .2 seems to have minimal positive impact on a university’s ranking, while a rise or fall of .3 more likely indicates a real shift in perception and ranking..

The most likely explanation for the minimal impact, in general, of reputation score increases of less than .3 is that changes in the U.S. News rankings methodology that includes measures for “social mobility” and “graduate indebtedness” have, in many cases, overridden or undermined the impact of marginally higher scores for academic reputation.

Only one university, Northeastern, rose by .4–yet the overall ranking for Northeastern fell from 42 to 44 between 2015 and 2023. The reputation score of 11 universities rose by .3: Notre Dame, NYU, Purdue, Boston University, Virginia Tech, Georgia, UMass Amherst, UConn, Utah, UC Santa Cruz, and Florida State. For this group, the ranking for 9 or the 11 universities rose, while the other 2 fell. Only Notre Dame and UConn dropped in the rankings as their reputation scores rose.

Below is a table showing the changes in academic reputation scores and overall rankings for 99 national universities, 2015-2023, sorted by academic reputation ranking in 2023.

Copy of Rsp vs rank 2023.xlsx

UniversityRep 2015Rep 2023changeRank 2015Rank 2023change
Stanford4.94.90734
MIT4.94.90725
Princeton4.84.80110
Harvard4.94.8-0.123-1
Yale4.84.80330
UC Berkeley4.74.7020200
Columbia4.64.70.1418-14
Chicago4.64.70.146-2
Johns Hopkins4.54.70.21275
Caltech4.64.601091
Cornell4.54.60.11517-2
Penn4.44.60.2871
Duke4.44.50.1810-2
Brown4.44.50.116133
Michigan4.44.4029254
UCLA4.24.40.223203
Northwestern4.34.40.113103
Dartmouth4.24.40.21112-1
Virginia4.34.302325-2
Carnegie Mellon4.24.30.125223
Georgia Tech4.24.30.13644-8
Vanderbilt4.14.30.216133
North Carolina4.14.20.130291
Rice44.20.219154
WUSTL44.20.21415-1
Notre Dame3.94.20.31418-4
Georgetown44.20.22122-1
UW Madison4.14.1047389
UT Austin44.10.1533815
NYU3.84.10.332257
Emory44.10.12022-2
Illinois4.14-0.142411
Washington 4404855-7
UC San Diego3.83.90.137343
Ohio St3.73.90.254495
UC Davis3.83.90.138380
USC3.93.901925-6
Purdue3.63.90.3625111
William & Mary3.73.90.23341-8
Maryland3.63.80.262557
UC Irvine3.63.80.242348
Florida3.63.80.2482919
Boston Univ3.53.80.342411
Boston College3.63.80.23136-5
Tufts3.63.80.22732-5
Minnesota3.63.70.169627
Penn State3.63.70.14877-29
Indiana3.63.70.176733
Colorado 3.53.70.28897-9
Texas A&M3.63.70.168671
Virginia Tech3.43.70.371629
Georgia 3.43.70.3634914
Case Western3.53.70.23844-6
Wake Forest3.53.70.22729-2
UC Santa Barbara3.53.60.140328
Michigan St3.53.60.185778
Arizona3.53.60.1120121-1
Pitt3.43.60.262620
Iowa3.53.60.17183-12
RPI3.43.60.24251-9
Brandeis3.53.60.13544-9
Northeastern3.23.60.44244-2
George Washington3.53.60.15162-11
Tulane3.43.60.253449
UMass Amherst3.23.50.376679
Oregon3.33.50.21061051
Rochester3.43.50.13336-3
Syracuse3.33.50.25862-4
Rutgers3.43.40705515
Stony Brook3.23.40.2887711
Kansas3.33.40.1106121-15
Connecticut3.13.40.35867-9
Col School of Mines3.33.40.18889-1
U of Miami3.23.40.24855-7
Clemson3.23.40.26277-15
Arizona St3.23.30.11291218
UC Santa Cruz33.30.385832
Utah33.30.312910524
NC State3.13.30.2957223
Florida St33.30.3955639
Delaware3.13.30.27689-13
Tennessee3.13.30.2106115-9
Auburn3.13.30.2103976
Baylor3.23.30.17177-6
American3.13.30.27172-1
Fordham3.23.30.15872-14
Lehigh3.33.304051-11
Iowa St3.23.20106127-21
Nebraska3.13.20.199151-52
Missouri3.33.2-0.199121-22
Brigham Young33.20.26289-27
Oklahoma33.20.2106127-21
Miami Oh3.13.20.176105-29
SMU33.20.25872-14
Alabama33.20.288137-49
UIC33.10.11499752
UC Riverside3.13.101138924
Washington St33.1138212-74
George Mason33.10.1128137-9
3.667676767683.807070707070.139795918367

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average US News Rankings for 125 Universities, 2016–2023

NOTE: This post will be updated within a few days to include the 8-year period 2017-2024, thus including the US News rankings released in September 2024.

Below is our annual update of US News average rankings across the most recent eight-year period. Our first effort, covering the years 2014-2021, showed that public university rankings as a whole declined by 4.4 percent during that timeframe, while the decline for private universities was slightly less at 4.3 percent.

This time around, public universities have made significant gains overall, reflecting in part the changes in US News methodology. The overall rankings for publics did decline, but only by 3.0 percent. Meanwhile, the overall rankings for private universities declined by 5.4 percent.

The table below does not include universities that moved into the national university category since 2014 or that were not rated among the top 125 in that category in 2014. But here is a list of those and their 2023 ranking.

Villanova, 51; Santa Clara, 55; Loyola Marymount, 77; Gonzaga, 83; Elon, 89; Illinois-Chicago, 97; NJIT, 97; South Florida UCF, 97; UC Merced, 97; RIT, 105; Utah, 105; Creighton, 115; Rutgers Newark, 115; and Temple, 121.

The new list has several dramatic changes, some of them making sense only if there were major adjustments or corrections to the data reported from the universities. For example, the ranking of Penn State was 47 in 2016 but 77 in 2023. The most dramatic improvement among publics was Florida State, which moved from 96 to 55 during the eight years. Undoubtedly, the biggest change among elite private institutions was the drop of Columbia from 4 to 18 across the same span of years. The decline came after accusations by a math professor that Columbia “fudged” numbers in previous years.

In the coming weeks we will also post our annual comparison of US News Rankings, academic reputation rankings, and departmental rankings.

US News 2016--202320162017201820192020202120222023Avg RankChg 2016
to 2023
Princeton1111111110
MIT775334224.1255
Harvard222222232.125-1
Yale333334533.3750
Stanford455766635.251
Chicago433366664.625-2
Penn988868877.752
Johns Hopkins10101110109979.53
Caltech101210121299910.3751
Northwestern121211109991010.252
Duke889810129109.25-2
Dartmouth1211111212131312120
Brown141414141414141313.8751
Vanderbilt151514141714141314.52
Washington Univ151918191916141516.8750
Rice1815141617161715163
Cornell151514161718171716.125-2
Columbia4553332185.375-14
Notre Dame181518181519191817.50
UCLA232421192020202020.8753
UC Berkeley2020212222222120210
Emory212021222121202221-1
Georgetown212020222423232221.875-1
Carnegie Mellon232425252526252224.3751
Michigan2927282725242325264
Virginia262425252826252525.51
USC232321222224272523.375-2
NYU3236303029302825307
Wake Forest272727272728282927.5-2
North Carolina303030302928282929.251
Florida475042353430282936.87518
Tufts272729272930283228.625-5
UC Santa Barbara373737303430283233.1255
UC San Diego394442413735343438.255
UC Irvine393942333635363436.755
Rochester333234332934343633.125-3
Boston College303132383735363634.375-6
UC Davis414446383939383840.3753
UT Austin525656494842383847.37514
UW Madison414446494642423843.53
William & Mary343232384039384136.75-7
Boston Univ413937424042424140.50
Illinois414452464847474145.750
Georgia Tech363434352935384435.625-8
Tulane413940444041424441.375-3
Brandeis343434354042424438.125-10
Case Western373737424042424440.125-7
Northeastern4739404440494944443
Georgia 615654465047484951.37512
Ohio St525454565453494952.6253
Lehigh474446535049495148.625-4
Purdue616056565753495155.37510
RPI413942495053555147.5-10
Pepperdine525046465049495549.625-3
U of Miami514446535749555551.25-4
Florida St969281705758555570.541
Washington 525456596258595556.875-3
Maryland576061636458595559.6252
Rutgers727069566263635563.7517
Syracuse616061535458596258.5-1
Pitt666868705758596263.54
George Washington575656637066636261.625-5
Minnesota697169767066686268.8757
Virginia Tech707469767474756271.758
Connecticut576056636463636761.625-10
WPI576061596466636762.125-10
Texas A&M707469667066686768.753
UMass Amherst757475706466686769.8758
Yeshiva526694809776686775-15
SMU615661636466687263.875-11
Fordham666061707466687267.125-6
Indiana758690897976687279.3753
American727169787776797274.250
NC State899281808480797282.12517
Penn State475052595763637758.5-30
Clemson616667667074757769.5-16
Baylor727175787976757775.375-5
Michigan St758281858480837780.875-2
Stony Brook899697809188937788.87512
Stevens Inst Tech757169707480838375.625-8
Iowa828278898488838383.625-1
Marquette868690898488838386.1253
Binghamton898687807988838384.3756
UC Santa Cruz8279817084971038384.875-1
Brigham Young666861637780798972.875-23
TCU828278809780838983.875-7
Howard13512411089104808389101.7546
UC Riverside121118124859188838999.87532
Col School of Mines758275808488838982-14
Univ at Buffalo999997897988938991.62510
Delaware757981899197938986.75-14
San Diego898690859188939789.875-8
Auburn10299103115107979997102.3755
Clark75748166911031039786.25-22
Colorado 969694106971031039799-1
Denver8686879697809310591.25-19
Saint Louis10310310310210410399105102.75-2
Arizona12112412410611797103105112.12516
Miami Oh827978899110310310591.25-23
Oregon129129115115117103117105116.2524
Drexel10811197124132133127105117.1253
Loyola Chicago103103103115104112103115107.25-12
Tennessee89929796121118117115105.625-26
South Carolina108111115119121118122115116.125-7
Arizona St999910389104112103121103.75-22
Vermont108107103106104118117121110.5-13
Missouri115118115129130124122121121.75-6
Kansas115129124102117124127121119.875-6
Clarkson99969410297133103127106.375-28
Iowa St10810310396117124122127112.5-19
Illinois Tech103111120129139124122127121.875-24
Dayton129133133147132133127127132.6252
Oklahoma108111110106125133136127119.5-19
New Hampshire123124120129139143127137130.25-14
Kentucky868687106121143136137112.75-51
Tulsa96103110129153143148137127.375-41
Alabama103107103106125143148137121.5-34
Nebraska108111124127132133127151126.625-43
Pacific103111124129139133136151128.25-48
Michigan Tech127129124140166153148151142.25-24
Colorado St129135133147153160148151144.5-22
Catholic123118124136147153148176140.625-53
Arkansas129135133147153160160176149.125-47

Honors Merit Scholarships–A Quick Review

UNIVERSITY HONORS PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIPS
Alabama lots of test score/gpa $$; full ride nm finalist
Appalachian St 10 full rides Chancellors Scholarship
Arizona avg in state hon $11-13k; avg OOS, $25-30k; stackable
Arizona State at least full tuition for national scholars; most also
have additional awards; no cap for national scholars
Arkansas 10k a year to NM finalists
Auburn many awards based on test and gpa
up to $18k per year
Central Florida Benacquisto full ride NM finalists; enrolls many national scholars
Clemson 10 full rides through honors college, very competitive
OOS avg is $5k – $12k without national award
Col of Charleston ALL honors students receive some merit scholarship
Colorado Presidential scholarship 4 year value $55k
Colorado St Up to $4k year in state; up to $10k yr OOS
Connecticut several are limited to conn residents
Delaware Distinguished hon scholars range from tuition to full ride
Florida Benacquisto full ride NM Finalist
Florida Atlantic Benacquisto full ride NM Finalist
Florida International Benacquisto full ride NM Finalist
Florida St Benacquisto full ride NM Finalist
Georgia Foundation fellows about 20 close to full ride
very competitive
Houston full ride still possible
Illinois Provost full tuition; President’s $10k/yr; Stamps full ride
all above are in state
Indiana OOS $1k to $10k
Iowa 99% honors students get a merit award, many w Old Gold
Scholarship $8500 in state $10k OOS
JMU Dingledine Bluestone $12,230/yr; Madison $4k-$10k
Kansas $10k in state; in state tuition OOS; other misc awards
Kentucky Singletary and Patterson, full tuition + $10k housing
Patterson is for NM finalists
Maryland Banneker Key full ride
Massachusetts most honors students receive some modest merit $$
Michigan up to $20k/yr OOS. VERY competitive.
Michigan St honors college scholarship can be $13k/yr also
add ons for NM and other honors scholarships; also
$5k to $15k yearly acc to SAT and gpa OOS
Minnesota $10k yr NM finalists; maroon and gold $24k MN residents
Mississippi full ride NM finalist and almost s
Missouri Mizzou Scholars $10k in state only; Stamps full ride rare
Nebraska chancellors or regents full tuition NM or equiv stats
Nevada Reno NM finalist $16k not whether in state OOS or both
New College of Florida Benacquisto full ride NM finalists
NC Chapel Hill Morehead-Cain and Robertson premier awards. Full ride
equivalent for both. Extremely competitive.
NC State Park Scholars full ride but few and almost all in state or
regional
Ohio U Cutler Scholarships in engineering, full cost; Cutler from colleges of
A&S, Business, Education, Fine Arts $23k per year
Ohio St Eminence Fellows 21 in most recent class full ride hon program
Oklahoma full ride now tied to very high test scores 1560ish
NM finalists $19k in state and $35k OOS
Oklahoma St full ride NM finalist; others acc to test and gpa
Oregon Stamps full ride equiv; presidential $9k per year
Penn St at least $5k for ALL Schreyer students, mostly in state
Pitt Chancellors scholarships (15) full ride equiv
Purdue Trustees scholarship $10k in state $16k OOS
Rutgers merit range $3500 to $26750
South Carolina full ride ~70 per year; McNair Scholars, also Horseshoe for honors
South Florida Benacquisto full ride NM Finalist
UT Chattanooga Brocks scholars all get $2k a year extra
Tennessee Several. In state $28-$48k; OOS $40k-$72k.
Volunteer scholarship; Hope scholarship.
Texas A&M NM finalists $7500 a year; Brown Foundation close
to full ride NM semifinalists in STEM; very competive
Texas Tech full ride nm finalists; other $$ based on scores gpa
UAB national scholars full tuition plus 1 yr housing+perks
8 semesters
Utah Presidential Scholarship in state and OOS tuition + housing award
UT Austin a few merit awards thru Plan II; some big UT awards include
Forty Acres Scholars full ride 15-20/yr. In state w family income of
$65k or less, free tuition in state; Terry Scholars ~$20k;
family income $125k or less and “need” also eligible
These are known as Texas Advance Scholarships
UT Dallas LOTS of merit scholarships and full rides possible NM finalists,
McDermott, Collegium Honors, Terry
Vermont several from $7k to $20k per year
VCU Presidential scholarship close to full ride
Virginia Tech Presidential for in state hon students with need;  85/yr
first gen, pell, family size and other fafsa factors involved
Washington honors tuition scholarship in state; also partial tuition
offset for OOS honors students; very competitive
Washington St NM finalists tuition scholarship plus $4k
Wisconsin most scholarships by college or department; also many
have need-based factors

Twelve New Mitchell Scholars to Study at Ireland’s Prestigious Universities

Editor’s Note: The following information is from the US-Ireland Alliance. We are pleased to see that the Mitchell Scholar Program continues to provide exciting opportunities for students to do graduate work at several of Ireland’s world-class universities.

November 21, 2020 – The US-Ireland Alliance announced the 12 members of the George J. Mitchell Scholar Class of 2022 following virtual interviews earlier today. One of the country’s most prestigious scholarship programs, it sends future American leaders to the island of Ireland for a year of graduate study.

Trinity College Dublin


 

 

 

 

 

A record number of 453 individuals applied this year – a 22% increase over the previous record set two years ago. Half of the semifinalists and half of the finalists were people of color, another record. Thirty percent of the finalists were from universities or colleges not previously represented and 70% of this year’s applicants were women.

The program was founded and is led, by Trina Vargo. It is unique among the nation’s most prestigious scholarships in being founded and led by a woman. Speaking of the new class, Vargo said, “Several applicants spoke specifically of their preference for studying in Ireland vs. England. They compared the history of disenfranchisement in the US to that of Ireland’s suppression under British colonialism. Many are also interested in places, like Northern Ireland, that have wrestled with their own conflicts. Recipient Kieran Hampton said: “I too have lived a life noiselessly charged with sectarian tension and the residue of violence. I am attracted to the island of Ireland and feel I have much in common with it.”

University College Dublin

Carolina Chavez, Director of the Mitchell Scholarship, spoke of the program’s requirements and process: “Our newly selected class will continue the Mitchell tradition of exploring new perspectives on contemporary issues, building skills, and relationships that will power the US-Ireland relationship in the years to come.”

Members of the selection committee included Monica Bell, a Mitchell Scholar alum and Associate Professor of Law and Associate Professor of Sociology at Yale; Justin McCarthy, Senior Vice President at the Patient & Health Impact group at Pfizer; Cóilín Parsons, Associate Professor of English, Georgetown University; and Ireland’s Deputy Ambassador to the United States, Emer Rocke.

Major supporters of the program include Ireland’s Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science; Morgan Stanley; Pfizer; and the Pritzker Foundation. The Scholars will begin their studies in Ireland in September 2021.

Queen’s University Befast

 George J. Mitchell Scholars, Class of 2022

 Jonathan Chew is a senior at Baylor University where he studies Mathematics and Russian as part of the Baylor Business Fellows program. As a dual citizen of the US and the UK, he follows Brexit closely. He’s been struck by how effectively the Leave campaign used data science to win an upset victory with a heavy investment in technology consulting and micro-targeted online messaging. The integral nature of data science in both the Brexit referendum and the 2016 US Presidential Election led Jonathan to choose a major that would allow him to explore the mathematical and data analytics side of modern politics. Given the controversy surrounding the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the aftermath of Brexit, Jonathan finds Ireland an interesting place to study how initiatives like the aforesaid referendum go from concept to reality and how data science can shape election outcomes. Jonathan will study Politics and Data Science at University College Dublin.

Meghan Davis is a senior and dual major in Biological Engineering and Urban Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. An interdisciplinary researcher, Meghan is committed to tackling health inequities faced by vulnerable and marginalized communities. Currently, she is pursuing a mixed-methods approach to understand the cardiovascular disease disparities in urban Black women and interventions that can be implemented to reduce these disparities. She is collaborating with a local Black women’s health organization to ensure the project is designed with the key stakeholders, Black women, at the reins. Meghan’s service was honored earlier this year with the Martin Luther King Jr. Service award for “service to the community.” She also received MIT’s Bridge Builder award for her “strong commitment to and passion for diversity education and cultural celebration.” Meghan’s goal is to become a physician-scientist and will study Global Health at Trinity College Dublin.

Marilu Duque is pursuing an MSc in Information at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. Her work is at the nexus of national security, cybersecurity, machine learning (ML), and research. As a first-generation American from Florida, she was raised with profound patriotism towards the community that welcomed her Cuban refugee father and her Dominican mother. She learned early that technology has not always served vulnerable communities well. As an undergraduate at New York University, where she obtained her Bachelor’s in Integrated Digital Media in 2019, Marilu was the NYC Regional Lead for the Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s Code as a Second Language program and taught 60 plus students in the Bronx. She is currently a Cyber Threat Intelligence intern at FireEye where she identifies actionable intelligence to inform customers of potential cyber threats to critical infrastructure. Marilu will study Applied Cyber Security at Technological University Dublin.

Genevieve Finn recently graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, completing her English degree in 2.5 years while working part-time. She is currently a reporter at The Malibu Times, where she is working to create a Spanish-language insert in the paper’s print edition to serve Malibu’s Latinx day laborer commuter population. As a student journalist for the Daily Bruin’s magazine, she wrote about racism faced by students studying abroad and launched a soon-to-be-published, months-long investigation into the data collection policies of a for-profit plagiarism-checking company used by UCLA. She was awarded an Overseas Press Club Foundation fellowship for her writing about her voyage and will work at the Associated Press’ Mexico City Bureau when travel is safe. Noting that most international coverage of Ireland focuses on The Troubles and Brexit, she plans to seek what is beyond the major narratives. Genevieve plans a career in long-form journalism and will study Creative Writing at Trinity College Dublin.

Tawreak Gamble-Eddington is a senior studying Political Science and History at Union College in Schenectady, New York. He is President of the Black Student Union, former President of Union Pride, and part of the local chapter of My Brother’s Keeper (President Obama’s mentoring program), which built space at Union to work with disadvantaged students in Schenectady. As a Gilman Scholar, Ty traveled to Poland to study Holocaust history and Polish Jewry and volunteered with local Polish organizations and synagogues. Born to African American and Irish American parents, Ty hopes to continue researching his ancestry in Ireland. Though his great-grandmother grew up in an orphanage in the Boston-area, the family has traced her roots to Limerick. Planning for an eventual career at the intersections of law and minority advocacy, Ty will study Race, Ethnicity, Conflict at Trinity College Dublin.

Kiran Hampton recently graduated from Harvard University with High Honors in History and Literature. As the President of Harvard Radio Broadcasting, he ran the largest open organization on campus, setting and executing policy for a 24/7 commercial radio station with a large share of the Boston market. Kiran and his team grew WHRB administratively and financially while significantly increasing its membership and improving the quality of its broadcasting. Kiran is proficient in Arabic, was a Harvard Crimson Editorial Board Editor and tutored students for the citizenship exam. His academic interest is in administrative and economic institutions, “in particular, in the sliding schema of regulation, by which private organizations and the state enforce economic and social rules with maniacal harshness against the poor and flexible permissiveness against the powerful.” Kiran has been admitted to Harvard Law. He will study Economics at Queen’s University Belfast.

Abigail Hickman is a senior at Columbia University where she majors in Anthropology. A member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, she is interested in Indigenous Futurisms, a subfield of speculative fiction that focuses on what decolonization might look like. She serves on Columbia’s executive board of the Native American Council, where she spearheaded a successful petition for university recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.  Abigail notes that this relationship revealed its unyielding strength as recently as this year when Irish citizens fundraised thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief aid for the Navajo and Hopi Nations, and when Ireland’s lacrosse team bowed out of the sport’s top international tournament to support the inclusion of the Iroquois Nationals. Today, Indigenous people still confront eliminatory systems of power and Abigail wants to imagine what might come next. She hopes to work as a professor at a university with a large Indigenous student population. She will study English at the University of Limerick.

Joy Nesbitt is a senior at Harvard University studying Social Anthropology and Music. A director, actress, and musician, she uses the arts to bring attention to social justice issues. She currently serves as Co-President of BlackCAST, where she organizes the annual Black Playwright’s Festival and develops art that foregrounds Black dramatists and theater-makers. Joy revamped KeyChange, the acapella group focused on performing music from the African Diaspora, serving as President in the group’s first returning year. This summer, she directed several plays on Zoom, including a successful production of God of Carnage and Romeo & Juliet. Joy finds that her experience as a Black woman from the South is regularly affected and dependent upon a global history of colonialism, slavery, and systematic disenfranchisement. She sees a similarity with British colonialism’s impact on Ireland. Joy will study Theatre Directing at The Lir Academy, Trinity College Dublin.

Maysa Sitar is a senior at Michigan State University where she studies Political Science. She became interested in voting at an early age while growing up in the sparsely populated Upper Peninsula of Michigan. As a sophomore, she petitioned her principal to offer the PSAT, which was not previously offered. As the MSU student body Vice President for Governmental Affairs, she has hosted on-campus debates for local elections, doubled dorm voter registration efforts, and create easy to read, nonpartisan guides for every election. MSU saw a 21 percent increase in the turnout rate for the 2018 midterm elections.  Maysa is currently conducting independent research to examine the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on electoral manipulation in countries with regularly scheduled elections during 2020. Maysa will study Conflict Transformation and Social Justice at Queen’s University Belfast.

Amelia Steinbach is a senior at Duke University, where she is an Alice M. Baldwin Scholar – a prestigious four-year women’s leadership program meant to replicate the benefit of women’s colleges within a liberal arts education. A Political Science major, she is the primary instructor of a course that explores the history of women in the American government and the disproportionate impact of various policies on women and girls.  Amelia served as a research fellow for Kathy Manning’s congressional campaign in North Carolina in 2018 and interned with U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) in 2019. After the internship, the Washington Post published her editorial detailing the lack of race and gender diversity in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s expert witness hearings. The piece emphasized the responsibility that leadership and staff in both parties have in addressing this imbalance. She will attend Harvard Law School in the fall of 2023. Amelia will study Gender, Politics and International Relations at University College Dublin.

Maura Welch is a speechwriter for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. She has written speeches about a host of local and national issues, including climate action and racial justice, and developed creative outreach materials including videos, opinion columns, and a podcast. She is especially adept at handling sensitive topics, such as the Trump Administration’s changes to Title IX protections for survivors of sexual assault, the Mayor’s commitment to protecting immigrants and refugees, the city’s response to the opioid epidemic, and the murder of George Floyd. After graduating from The George Washington University with a degree in Environmental Studies in 2013, she worked for The Nature Conservancy’s Islands Program on Martha’s Vineyard where she managed communications for a new citizen science program, developed educational curricula for the public school system, and coordinated sustainability projects. Maura sees clear parallels between COVID-19 and the climate crisis and is ready to play a bigger role in promoting sustainability and equity in Boston. She will study Comparative Social Change at Trinity College Dublin.

 Selena Zhao was selected last year for a Mitchell Scholarship, but a sports-related injury resulted in her deferral to the Class of 2022. Selena graduated in May 2020 from Harvard with a degree in Government. As a student, she researched consociationalism and the impact of this form of power-sharing. She has explored the topic in Nigeria, Lebanon, and wrote her senior thesis on the Good Friday Agreement and how it incentivizes the ethnonational divide for political gain. Selena has worked as a research assistant for several Harvard professors and contributed to Professor Steve Levitsky’s bestseller How Democracies Die. In London, she interned with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, researching a UK centrist platform. Before university, Selena was a competitive figure skater for the Canadian International Team and was the 2015 Junior National Champion. She managed and performed at An Evening with Champions, a yearly fundraiser for pediatric cancer research. She will study Conflict Transformation at Queen’s University Belfast.

Here Are 75 Public Universities Listed in Order of Academic Department Rankings

For several years, we have kept track of U.S. News rankings of academic departments so that we can give readers some idea of which universities are strongest in 15 academic disciplines: biology, business, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, economics, education, engineering, English, history, math, physics, political science, psychology, and sociology.

Sather Gate, UC Berkeley

We use this data for a variety of posts, including some that compare public and private university departmental rankings. In other posts we have shown the relation of departmental rankings to other factors, such as U.S. News rankings and lists based on academic reputation. In yet other posts we have listed the disciplines and then grouped universities under each discipline.

But in this post we simply list 75 public universities in order of the aggregate average of 15 academic departments. One caveat: not all of the 75 universities had a ranked department for each of the 15 disciplines. Nevertheless, for those who prioritize high quality in a university across the board, the list could be useful. Students often change majors, and it is reassuring to know that the new major may likely be as strong as the original choice.

UC Berkeley is far and away the leader with an average department ranking of 2.13 nationwide. This is all the more remarkable because many universities do not have even a single department ranked in the top 75.

departments public ordinal 75.xlsx

UniversityAvg Dept Rank
UC Berkeley2.13
Michigan9
UCLA10.86
Wisconsin13.13
UT-Austin14.8
Illinois20.6
Washington22.2
Minnesota24.33
North Carolina25.93
UCSD26.33
Ohio State26.6
Virginia27.46
Penn State27.53
UC Davis28.21
Maryland28.46
Indiana30.14
UC Irvine32.66
Colorado33.2
Georgia Tech33.7
UCSB36.78
Purdue40.2
Texas A&M40.86
Michigan State42.13
Rutgers New Bruns43.06
Arizona45.46
Arizona State45.93
Pitt46.06
Stony Brook SUNY46.15
Florida 48.4
Massachusetts49.78
Oregon50.28
Iowa51.06
Virginia Tech59.23
UCSC59.71
Utah61.2
Georgia61.8
Illinois Chicago64.93
UCR65.2
North Carolina State65.45
Kansas65.66
Iowa state66.57
Florida St 69.33
Nebraska69.4
Connecticut71.2
Willliam & Mary72.16
Col School Mines74.83
Missouri76.26
Tennessee79
Temple79.23
Univ at Buffalo SUNY79.86
Colorado St80.25
Delaware81.46
Washington State82.71
Kentucky83.53
Oklahoma84.26
Oregon St87.81
Houston88.28
LSU89.46
Clemson90.3
South Carolina91.13
New Mexico91.71
UT Dallas93.25
George Mason93.66
Auburn94.36
Binghamton SUNY96
Georgia St104.72
Vermont109.62
Alabama Birmingham110.3
Central Florida110.54
West Virginia113.64
Okla State113.83
Texas Tech115.33
South Florida118
Arkansas119.54
Mississippi121.27

 

 

 

International Rankings Engineering and Tech: Top 70 US Universities

Although rankings of international universities are not especially important for some academic disciplines, rankings of engineering and technology are of significant interest because so many U.S. companies who employ graduates in these fields have extensive international contacts, including multiple office facilities abroad.

Whether you are working for an American engineering or tech company at home or abroad, you will have colleagues from across the globe. At least one measure of your credibility with them could be based on the worldwide prominence of your alma mater.

Below are the top U.S. universities in engineering and technology, according to the Times Higher Ed rankings. The schools are listed in numerical order according to their U.S. ranking with their international ranking alongside. After the top 100 in the world, the rankings begin to group in increments of 25 or 50. World rankings up to 250 are included.

UNIVERSITYUNITED STATESINTERNATIONAL
NAMERANKRANK
Caltech11
Stanford11
Harvard33
MIT46
Princeton57
UCLA69
Georgia Tech69
UC Berkeley814
Carnegie Mellon916
Michigan1017
Yale1120
UT Austin 1222
Illinois1323
Cornell1426
UCSB1528
Columbia1633
UCSD1734
Purdue1835
Northwestern1936
Penn2037
Johns Hopkins2138
UW Madison2244
USC2345
Duke2449
Washington2550
Penn State2651
Rice2752
Ohio State2855
Texas A&M2855
NYU3065
Virginia Tech3171
UC Davis3280
Brown3382
Maryland3483
Arizona State3584
UC Irvine3584
Minnesota3786
UC Riverside38101-125
Colorado38101-125
Umass38101-125
Michigan State38101-125
NC State38101-125
Tennessee38101-125
Boston University44126-150
Case Western44126-150
Colorado School of Mines44126-150
UNC Chapel Hill44126-150
Notre Dame44126-150
Rutgers New Brunswick44126-150
Vanderbilt44126-150
University at Buffalo SUNY51151-175
UC Santa Cruz51151-175
Dartmouth51151-175
Delaware51151-175
Drexel51151-175
Northeastern51151-175
Arizona57176-200
Binghamton SUNY57176-200
Florida57176-200
UT Dallas57176-200
Uconn61201-250
Florida International61201-250
Houston61201-250
Indiana61201-250
Iowa State61201-250
Kent State61201-250
Missouri Inst of Tech61201-250
Nebraska61201-250
New Jersey Inst of Tech61201-250
Stony Brook SUNY61201-250
Tulsa61201-250
Virginia61201-250

 

U.S. News 2020: Dept Rank vs Academic Rep vs Overall Rank Plus Social Mobility

The post is by editor John Willingham.

Yes, the title of this post is a mouthful. For years now, I have kept an updated list of the departmental rankings that U.S. News publishes so that I can add them to the biannual profiles I do of honors programs. When the 2020 rankings came out, I wanted to see whether there was any clear relationship between the departmental scores and the academic reputation scores. Then I compared the latest reputation scores with those published in 2015 to see how much had changed. Finally, the table below also includes changes in university rankings and the most recent rankings for social mobility.

(I would welcome comments on this post. Please email editor@publicuniversityhonors.com.)

It appears that the social mobility metric has had some impact, especially if the ranking is very strong, as in the case of many UC campuses and Florida institutions. There is no clear relationship between departmental scores and academic reputation scores. Departmental rankings do have a modest relationship to the overall U.S. News rankings, but there are many inconsistencies. Academic reputation scores do seem to show some “grade inflation” since 2015; often this is the case even when the U.S News ranking has dropped significantly.

The table below includes data for 100 public and private universities.

The cumulative rankings that I do for 15 academic disciplines requires some explanation. U.S. News only ranks graduate programs for most departments. Here are the disciplines for which I have cumulative departmental rankings, using the most recent data (2018): biological sciences; business (undergrad); chemistry, computer science; earth sciences; economics; education; engineering (undergrad);English; history; mathematics; physics; political science; psychology; and sociology.

Not every university has a ranked department in each of the 15 disciplines. I averaged departmental rankings for every university that had at least six ranked departments. For universities with, say, fewer than 12 ranked departments, the total ranking will be artificially high because only the best departments are ranked and I cannot include unranked departents. Most universities have 12-15 departments that are ranked, and so the overall average will be more useful for them. And some of the universities with a small number of ranked departments are specialized, such as Georgia Tech and Caltech. Clearly, even ranking only six or seven departments for those schools and getting a strong result is not misleading.

Universities with fewer than 10 departmental rankings: Colorado School of Mines; Georgia Tech; Miami Ohio; American; Brigham Young; Caltech; Dartmouth; Drexel; Fordham; Georgetown; and RPI.

It should be said that universities with relatively low departmental rankings can legitimately receive high rankings because of other meaningful factors, such as grad and retention rates and class size. Some excellent universities do not have an especially strong research focus or a lot of graduate programs. Dartmouth is one prominent example.

The universities below appear in rank order of their 2020 academic reputation, according to U.S. News.

UNIVERSITYAvg Dept RankDept RankRep ScoreRep RankRep ScoreRep DifUS NewsRank Dif2020 Rank
NAME15 Disciplines 2018Ordinal2020202020152020 v 2015Rank 20202015-2020Soc Mobility
Harvard5.7164.914.9020186
Stanford1.9314.914.9061241
MIT2.7324.914.9034241
Princeton5.3854.914.80.110186
Yale10.9294.854.8030285
UC Berkeley3.224.764.7022-270
Columbia10.2384.764.60.131138
Caltech4.7144.764.60.112-2345
Johns Hopkins21.93194.764.50.2102241
Chicago11.67114.664.606-2335
Cornell13.79134.664.50.117-2224
Penn16.73154.664.40.262241
Duke20.23174.5134.40.110-2254
Brown27.62284.5134.40.1142224
Michigan9.474.5134.40.1254291
Northwestern17.86164.5134.30.294251
Dartmouth51.38574.4174.20.212-1303
UCLA10.8694.3184.20.120313
Carnegie Mellon27.73294.3184.20.1250303
Georgia Tech33.7374.3184.20.1297224
Vanderbilt35.57404.3184.10.217-1291
Virginia27.4274.2224.3-0.128-5328
Rice31.92334.22240.2172204
Georgetown53.75614.22240.224-3241
Notre Dame45.43474.2223.90.315-1322
North Carolina23.79214.1264.10291165
UW Madison12.93124.1264.10461297
WUSTL32.29344.12640.119-5381
Emory45.82494.12640.121-1200
UT Austin14.47144.12640.1485134
NYU25234313.80.2293115
Illinois20.07173.9324.1-0.248-6186
Washington 22.2203.9324-162-14176
USC35.27393.9323.9022-3147
UC Davis28.14303.9323.80.139-19
UC San Diego25.93243.9323.80.137021
William & Mary69363.8373.70.140-7354
Ohio St26.4253.8373.70.1540254
Purdue40.27413.8373.60.2575270
Tufts73.8783.8373.60.229-2328
UC Irvine32.53353.8373.60.23663
Florida48.67523.8373.60.2341434
Penn State27.27263.7433.60.157-9348
Maryland28.8313.7433.60.164-2322
Minnesota24.2223.7433.60.170-1251
Boston College50.27543.7433.60.137-6270
Texas A&M41.6423.7433.60.170-296
Indiana29.93323.7433.60.179-3303
Case Western72.91773.7433.50.240-2214
Boston Univ48.67523.7433.50.2402270
Colorado 33.2363.7433.50.2104-16359
Virginia Tech52.31603.7433.40.374-3322
Wake Forest98.75933.6533.50.1270360
Brandeis63.92683.6533.50.140-5138
UC Santa Barbara35.21383.6533.50.13469
Arizona43443.6533.50.11173195
Georgia 63653.6533.40.25013159
Tulane90.77893.6533.40.24013365
Pitt45.4463.6533.40.2575335
George Washington76.92833.5603.5070-19322
Iowa50.27543.5603.5084-13335
Michigan St42.13433.5603.50841241
RPI62623.5603.40.1402270
Rochester52593.5603.40.1294159
Col School of Mines74.83793.5603.30.2844303
U of Miami85.69873.5603.20.357-9270
Northeastern67.85723.5603.20.3402254
Rutgers43.87453.4683.4062859
Syracuse69.33753.4683.30.154490
Oregon51.43573.4683.30.11042214
Kansas63.87673.4683.30.1130-24377
UMass Amherst48.57513.4683.20.26412186
Arizona St45.67483.4683.20.211712147
Clemson89.6883.4683.20.270-8348
Lehigh106.67983.3763.3050-10270
Stony Brook46.46503.3763.20.191-324
Iowa St50.27543.3763.20.1121-15270
Connecticut69.47763.3763.10.264-6265
Auburn94.36923.3763.10.2107-4380
Tennessee76.77813.3763.10.21042138
SMU109.6993.37630.364-6360
Florida St68.8733.37630.3573880
Missouri76.87813.2833.3-0.1139-40354
Baylor103.09943.2833.2079-8297
American105.83963.2833.10.177-6176
Delaware76.54803.2833.10.191-15360
Miami Oh94.11913.2833.10.191-15369
NC State67.09703.2833.10.18411224
Nebraska67.33713.2833.10.1139-40303
Brigham Young80.22843.28330.277-15291
Utah60.87633.28330.210425186
Fordham105.83963.1923.2-0.174-16351
UC Riverside64.33693.1923.1091221
Alabama124.911003.19230.1153-65377
UC Santa Cruz59.71623.19230.18412
Drexel105953.19230.197-2270
Oklahoma83.4853.19230.1132-26328
Washington St84.5863.19230.1166-28176
George Mason93.67903.19230.1153-25125
UIC63.53663100301321714
MEAN SCORES/RANKS49.9083503.77247.713.6610.10256.96-2.51229.38

 

 

University of South Florida Genshaft Honors College Receives a Total of $23 Million from Outgoing USF President

Serving a major public university as president for 19 years is a strong legacy in itself, but outgoing University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft and her husband, Steven Greenbaum, also announced in May a $20 million donation to help build a new honors college building. Then, on June 1 at a retirement gala for her, they donated an additional $3 million to endow the position of Dean of the Judy Genshaft Honors College.

Together these donations should propel the university and the JGHC to even loftier status. Under Genshaft’s leadership,  USF has already risen to “preeminnent” status among Florida’s universities. The status, designated and approved by the Florida Board of Governors, is based on 12 benchmarks, including graduation and retention rates. The designation leads to greater funding to attract new students, recruit faculty, and promote research. The only other preeminent universities in the state thus far are the University of Florida and Florida State University.

Artist’s rendering of new home for Judy Genshaft Honors College at USF

The major part of the donation to the JGHC will fund almost half of the total cost of a new honors building, to be built just to the north of the Muma College of Business. The five-story building will feature office, classroom, meeting, and lounge spaces for students and faculty.

JGHC Dean Charles Adams says that the gifts “will allow us to greatly enhance our programmatic and curricular offerings, and expand our enrollment,” which is planned to increase from the current level of 2,200 students to around 3,000 students in the next five years. The honors college is already known for its large number of interdisciplinary, honors-only class sections.

The New College Board ‘Adversity Score’ Explained

The College Board has developed a new data-driven tool designed to give college admissions officers the ability to evaluate test scores in light of an applicant’s educational, social, and economic background. The effort is the Board’s latest attempt to offset criticism that its tests favor the affluent, Asian students, and white students.

The new tool could also increase Latino and African American enrollment without the specific consideration of race or ethnicity, otherwise known as affirmative action, an approach that the Supreme Court might soon disallow.

So far, 50 colleges have been using the tool; it will expand to 150 later this year and be available to all schools in 2020.

The tool utilizes 15 factors (listed below) and provides a spreadsheet for admissions officers to use in analyzing the factors in relation to scores.

The new approach is certain to draw criticism, however. Students who live in relatively affluent neighborhoods, attend strong high schools, and enroll in advanced placement courses will receive low “adversity scores” and may find themselves relatively less likely to be admitted to some colleges.

Another issue: the data is based mostly on census block and other federal data, not on individual financial information. A wealthy white student might live in a gentrified neighborhood with inaccurate data indicating that it is still a lower income area. Similarly, a disadvantaged student might live just inside a census tract with high median income stats. Students will not receive a copy of the score–another area of controversy.

Students who attend highly competitive high schools in states with automatic admission based on high school class standing, such as Texas, already find it relatively harder to graduate in the top 6th or 7th percentile of their class. They are admitted “holistically” if they are not in the top percentiles; low adversity scores might narrow their chances even more. Or  help them…who knows?

On the other hand, if the new tool on its own can lead to the higher enrollment of students now benefiting from automatic admission, Texas might be able to abandon the rule altogether.

High School Information–Four Factors

  • Average senior class size;
  • Average percentage of students taking the SAT;
  • Average freshman SAT score at colleges attended by SAT-taking graduates of the applicant’s high school;
  • Percentage of students at the high school who participate in the free and reduced-price lunch program.

High School AP Opportunity–Four Factors

  • Number of unique AP courses taught in that high school;
  • Percentage of the senior class who took at least one AP exam;
  • Average number of AP Exams taken by graduates who sat for at least one exam;
  • Average AP scores across all AP Exam takers and exams.

High School Percentiles–One Factor

  • The 25th, 50th, and 75th old SAT percentiles on Critical Reading, Math,
    and Math + Critical Reading scores for graduates.

Neighborhood and High School Context–Six Factors

  • Undermatch Risk–Academic undermatch occurs when a student’s academic credentials substantially exceed the credentials of students enrolled in the same postsecondary institution.
  • Crime Risk–The Crime Risk represents the likelihood of being a victim of a
    crime–not the likelihood of committing a crime.
  • Family Stability–Family stability is a combined measure based on the proportion of two-parent families, single-parent families, and children living under the poverty line within each neighborhood, or across the neighborhoods of past students attending that high school.
  • Educational Attainment–Educational attainment is a combined measure that looks at the pattern of educational attainment demonstrated by young adults in the community. ESL participation.
  • Housing Stability–Housing stability is a composite measure that includes vacancy rates, rental versus home ownership, and mobility/housing turnover, again based on aggregate population statistics.
  • Median Family Income — Median family income is based on weighted data from the Census/ American Community Survey.

Overall context is a weighted average of the individual metrics listed above. College admissions officers receive (1) bar graphs showing the applicant’s SAT score relative to others who share the applicant’s overall percentile of neighborhood
adversity and high school adversity and (2) the average freshman SAT score of entering students at the colleges that these respective groups of students attended.