如何解读美国的大学排行榜

How to Read the Best College Ranking by U.S. News & World Report

美国大学本科排行榜由《美国新闻与世界报道》主办。它是高中学生选择申请大学时最受欢迎的工具书。下述七个因素决定了每所大学在排行榜中的位置:学校的学术影响与声望;学生毕业率与返校率;师资水准;录取的难易程度;学校财源;实际毕业率与期望毕业率之差;校友赞助!在这七个因素当中, 学校的学术影响与声望和学生毕业率占据最重要的位置!由于该排行榜只发表了那些被录取后来校注册的学生的SAT成绩和他们在高中阶段的表现, 而非全部被录取考生的相关信息, 由此而产生的对考生及其家长的误导是显而易见的。20 世纪90年代中期以来, 个别大学或学院为了提高在该排行榜中的位次, 进而吸引更多考生报名, 不惜弄虚作假, 但这些现象并不足以否定此排行榜存在的正面意义。美国大学本科排行榜不仅有助于高中生升学, 而且促使美国大学(特别是研究型大学)更加注重本科教学。

The Best College Ranking by U.S. News & Worid Report has become a popular tool for high school students to choose and apply to colleges. The factors that have affected the ranking include undergraduate academic reputation, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and graduation rate performance as well as alumni donation. Two of the factors, undergraduate academic reputation and graduation rate, carry more weight than the rest. While student selectivity is another important factor that includes SAT score and high school rank, it only provides partial instead of overall information on college application pool. Because of the vast differences in admission policy of each college, readers cannot rely on it completely. Especially the SAT scores required for admission, it is rather misleading. Therefore, it becomes the most easily misinterpreted information for students and their parents. Since the mid -1990's, a few colleges manipulated their SAT scores in order to improve their ranking and attract more high school students. However, those scandals should not cast doubt upon overall positive effect of this ranking as the Best College Ranking has prompted all kinds of colleges to pay more attention to undergraduate education besides helping high school students to choose and apply to the right colleges.