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.

When we asked students whether they read articles or reports on rankings to make college application and enrollment decisions, 56 percent said they do not look at any rankings, 24 percent couldn’t remember (an indication that they didn’t make much of an impact) and only 20 percent acknowledged reading the rankings.

Among those who did rely on the rankings (only 100 out of the 500 students surveyed), notable subgroup differences include:

• A higher proportion of the most highly qualified students – those with SAT and ACT scores of 1270+ and 26+ respectively – were more likely to have read US News rankings than students with lower test scores.
  
  
• Students from families with higher incomes ($75K above) also were more likely to have read US News rankings in college decisions and students with family incomes below $75K.