YU Falls 38 Spots in College Rankings Amidst US News Methodology Changes
Yeshiva University fell 38 spots in the US News and World Report’s 2024 national university rankings released Monday, falling to 105th place, where it is tied with ten other universities, in what YU attributed to changes in the ranking methodology.
YU’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law also fell in US News’ law school rankings this year, dropping to 69th place after hitting 52nd in the 2023 rankings.
US News’ widely circulated annual study of over 1,500 US colleges and universities calculates its results based on weighted factors including graduation rates, graduate pay, SAT/ACT scores and peer assessments by officials at other universities.
Despite the large drop in the general rankings, YU did increase its standing in several categories, including rising to 47 in the list of best value schools — the highest in NYC. YU also retained its spot among the top 10 universities with 5,000 or fewer undergraduates, taking 9th place in the category.
Changes to the methodology include removing factors such as class size, faculty degrees, alumni giving, high school class standing and the proportion of graduates who borrow federal loans, with a greater emphasis on “social mobility and outcomes for graduating college students,” according to a US News press release.
YU isn’t the only university with significant changes in rankings, with private universities such as Brigham Young University falling 26 spots to 115, and NYU falling from 25th to 35th place. Some schools, such as Texas A&M, rose 20 places.
“We are thrilled to report that once again YU has achieved record breaking enrollment at both our undergraduate and graduate schools,” A YU spokesperson told The Commentator. “Moreover, our core metrics — retention, graduation, admission to graduate and professional schools and jobs secured — are all up.
“This year, however, US News & World Report changed some of the key metrics it used to calculate its rankings, focusing instead more on non-educational areas that don’t capture the unique nature of the YU experience, the quality of education or the success of our graduates in their personal and professional lives. Regrettably, US News has downgraded these areas. YU is not alone. Given US News & World Report’s altered focus, 79% of private national universities declined in their rankings, while 66% of public national universities rose.”
The changes in US News’ methodologies come amidst growing criticism of the rankings, with several major medical and law schools announcing that they would no longer share information with the outlet since last year, with Yale Law School in a 2022 statement calling the system “profoundly flawed,” and accusing US News of disincentivizing “programs that support public interest careers, champion need-based aid, and welcome working-class students into the profession.”
Schools that tied with YU for 105th place include City University of New York (CUNY) City College, Arizona State University and American University in Washington D.C. In the Wall Street Journal / College Pulse Rankings, another prominent ranking of American universities released earlier in September, YU fell to 227th place, a decline from 138th place last year.
YU has fallen in college rankings before. In 2017, YU dropped 28 spots to 94th place after spending almost two decades mostly between the 40s and low 50s. In 2019, YU was ranked 97th, before recovering in recent years.
____
Photo Caption: YU has fallen to 105th place in the US News And World Report's 2024 national university rankings.
Photo Credit: The Commentator
