Howard University jumps into the U.S. News Top 100 Rankings

The 2019 US News and World Report National University Rankings had some significant changes this year. According to U.S. News, the 2019 methodology places more emphasis on student outcomes and less emphasis on school selectivity. The new methodology aims to incorporate new socioeconomic diversity factors that take into consideration the enrollment and graduation rate of students from low-income families receiving Federal Pell Grants.

The result of this new methodology: Howard University jumped 21 places to 89th on the list, becoming the only Historically Black College and University to make the Top 100. Howard University President Wayne A.I. Frederick said that the move “validates the university’s push to improve student retention and graduation rates.” The U.S. News Rankings remains a “leader in the field” of college rankings, and college presidents, trustees, alumni, faculty members and students closely track” the list every year. The validation of Howard University by U.S. News will hopefully pave the way for more recognition of the important efforts and successes of Historically Black Colleges and Universities to promote social mobility and increase access to education.

In addition to adding socioeconomic factors, the new 2019 U.S. News methodology reduces the weight of school selectivity, SAT/ACT scores, class standing, and expert opinions. Notably, admission rates were dropped completely from the formula.

This is a move in the right direction. Many students see a school’s admit rate as a proxy for the quality of that institution. However, while a school’s admit rate can be correlated with other strong features that make it a quality institution, a low admit rate alone does not guarantee a school will provide a top-rate education. It is for this reason, and many others, that schools like Stanford have decided that they are no longer publishing their admit rate. Stanford acknowledges that schools have entered into an unhealthy competition with each other to have the most applicants and the lowest admit rate, a fruitless race that does not “empower students [to find] a college that is the best match for their interests.”