Turning Heads in the Rankings Game

by Daniel L. Bennett

The Forbes/CCAP college rankings are making an impact in helping achieve one of our goals: to make more information about colleges publicly available so that students can make better decisions.

While we still have some critics, here are some positive remarks about the rankings from around the blogosphere:

Tim Griffin at ESPN

"All of the Big 12 schools were ranked among the 600 after using a complex formula that would make developers of the BCS nod their heads in agreement."

Lynn O'Shaughnessy at CBS Moneywatch:

"...plenty of higher-ed pretty boys didn’t earn the sort of blue-ribbon college rankings they usually win."

"Here’s a big reason why a significant number of obscure schools on the list of the nation’s 600 top colleges and universities fared so well: the Forbes’ methodology ignores reputation. Instead it attempts to measure the quality of learning that takes place at these institutions. And that’s a monumental improvement over the popular rankings that..."

Richard Holmes at University Rankings Watch:

"The CCAP (Center for College Affordability and Productivity)/Forbes rankings are rather different from the rest, being emphatically based on outcomes rather than spending."

With several thousand media mentions (and still growing), including OpEd placements in the Columbus Dispatch and Richmond Times Dispatch, the Forbes/CCAP rankings have turned some heads in helping prospective students choose a college that is best for them.