U.S. News and World Report ranked the University of Wisconsin the seventh-best public college in America and the 34th-best college overall this month in its annual national rankings.
UW moved up one spot from last year's public college ranking — ahead of the University of California-San Diego — but for the second consecutive year ranked No. 34 overall.
U.S. News and World Report's overall rankings are based on several individual criteria of the university — including student-faculty ratio, admissions selectivity and freshman retention rate.
Despite the weight some prospective students may place on these and other rankings, many UW administrators say they give little merit to the yearly report.
UW Provost Patrick Farrell called U.S. News and World Report's methodology "somewhat arbitrary" and "misleading" because not all institutions are suitable for all students.
"If the goal of this kind of ranking is to help prospective students or families decide what institution might suit them, then it is really incomplete," Farrell said. "I can't say it is an invalid ranking, it is just that rankings like that are almost, by definition, incomplete."
But Robert Morse, director of data research for U.S. News, rejected Farrell's statement and called their rankings "absolutely not arbitrary."
U.S. News and World Report uses seven indicators to rank universities — each with a different weighted value.
Morse said the weight of the seven indicators — which include peer assessment, retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate performance and alumni give rate — is determined by the "relative value" each indicator has in measuring the quality of undergraduate education.
"So it's not using a scientific system to come up with weights," Morse said. "It's research and talking to experts — and we're relying on our own best judgment in the end."
Gary Sandefur, dean of the College of Letters and Science, said the U.S. News rankings do indicate that UW is a prestigious university, but added that rankings must be taken with a grain of salt.
"Saying something is fifth or seventh or 12th — we don't attach much credibility to that," Sandefur said.
