According to the U.S. News website, the schools are ranked by “indicators of academic quality” and a “nonpartisan view of what matters in an education.” The schools are each given scores determined by academic reputation (25 percent), student selectivity (15 percent), faculty resources (20 percent), graduation and retention rate (20 percent), financial resources (10 percent), alumni giving (5 percent) and graduation rate performance (5 percent).
The guide, “America’s Best Colleges 2002,” ranks nearly 1,400 institutions and is available on newsstands.
Andrea Shen, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ assistant director of communications, said that though students may look at the rankings, they take multiple factors into consideration when choosing a college.
“We have no way of really knowing how much of a role the rankings play in prospective students’ decisions,” Shen said. “While we appreciate being recognized in the rankings, we chiefly focus on trying to provide the best education possible.”