In September 2016, Times Higher Education launched a brand new ranking of US universities and colleges, aiming to address dissatisfaction with existing higher education rankings in the country.
Read next: Stanford tops first WSJ/THE US College Ranking
The new US college league tables, launched in partnership with The Wall Street Journal, ranks more than 1,000 American colleges and universities, and was first published in September 2016. The rankings assess teaching (including graduate outcomes), and place the student experience at their heart thanks to a range of new performance metrics.
THE has developed a model which evaluates colleges across four core competencies: resources; engagement; outcomes; and environment.
Certain indicators, such as student satisfaction, faculty-student interaction and measures of the learning environment and engagement take data from the Times Higher Education US student survey.
|
University competency |
Student questions addressed |
|
Resources |
How well funded is my college? How likely is it that I will get individual attention from teachers? Is the teaching research-informed? |
|
Engagement |
Will my learning be engaging? Are students satisfied with their experience? Will I have good interactions with faculty? Will I have wide educational opportunities? How well supported are students in their studies? |
|
Outcomes |
Does my college succeed in getting people to the end of the course? Will my salary be higher if I go here? Will I be able to repay any loans I take out? How strong is the college’s reputation nationally? |
|
Environment |
Will I meet people from other countries? Will I meet people from other backgrounds? |
Read the methodology in full
THE US college rankings: latest news
Stanford University tops US College Ranking
Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education league table focuses on universities’ teaching environments
Why our new US college ranking is great news for students
Students are at the centre of the new US university league tables
Official announcement of the THE US college rankings
Further information on THE's US ranking plans
THE US college rankings: frequently asked Questions
Why is THE launching these rankings? How will they work? Your FAQs answered
The WSJ/THE College Ranking methodology
The metrics underlying the ranking
Webinar: US college ranking methodology and metrics
On 30 June 2016, Phil Baty, editor of the THE World University Rankings, and Duncan Ross, data and analytics director at THE, held a webinar giving more detail on the US college rankings' methodology, and revealing how the results might be presented. The slides from this webinar can be downloaded on the links below.
Our Approach to a US Ranking - Duncan Ross (presentation)
Towards a Better US Ranking System - Phil Baty (presentation)
Any breaking news about the US college rankings will be added to this page.
