Volume 5, Issue 1
October 16, 2002
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Publisher's NoteFindings and Supporting DataArchived Issues
Rankings Matter Relatively Little in College Choice

Are many students looking at college rankings as they consider where to apply or enroll?
StudentPoll found that only a small segment of students look at the college rankings. Specifically, one-fifth of the 500 college-bound students we surveyed actually reported reading any articles or reports that ranked colleges as they considered where to apply and enroll.

OK, not many students look at the rankings, but what about their parents?
Far from encouraging their children to look at the rankings, 62 percent of parents did not even mention college rankings to their sons and daughters. In fact, only 9 percent of all respondents surveyed indicated that their parents had strongly encouraged them to look at the rankings.

How much influence do rankings have in comparison to other sources of information and advice,
such as college web sites or the campus visit?
In two words, very little. Other factors such as the campus visit figure more prominently in students’
enrollment decisions.

Which of the various ranking sources are read most by students?
While the rankings are read by only a small segment of the college-bound populations we surveyed,
those who do read the rankings are far more likely to read the US News rankings than any other.
(Base: students who indicated they had read articles or reports on college rankings to inform application and enrollment decisions).

What effect did college rankings have on students’ interest in a college or university?
A majority of students who said that they relied on a source of rankings in deciding where to enroll,
reported that this information made them more interested in a college or university or more comfortable with decisions they had already made.

When do college rankings have the greatest influence on college consideration and choice?
For the small segment of students who relied on college rankings to make judgments about where to enroll (only 41 out of 500 surveyed), rankings had the greatest influence when students were beginning to consider different colleges and when they were deciding where to apply.

On a more personal level, what do students really think about the rankings?
The majority of students agreed that rankings don’t matter all that much to them.