OU drops 27 spots in US News academic rankings

[Pete]

Huge drop from last year, after finally clawing back into the top 100.

Rankings were just released for 2019; here's a look at the Big 12 schools (Tulsa was tops in the state at #106, which is a good demotion for them as well).

The ranking system was slightly revised, but it's something that is periodically done so not sure why the big change for OU:

The formula now includes indicators meant to measure "social mobility" and drops an acceptance rate measure that benefited schools that turned the most students away. U.S. News says the changes are based on discussions with college leaders during the last year and the new social mobility indicator is based on newly available federal data.

Among the colleges that benefited most from the changes was the entire California university system — "partly due to the universities’ performance graduating high proportions of low-income students," said Robert Morse, chief data strategist at U.S. News & World Report.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/...formula-813559

You can argue about the validity of these rankings but it is by far and away the most valued of all the academic rating systems.

[gopokes88]

I don't discount them but I think AAU status is far more valuable. Neither school is eligible at this moment. OU probably has the quality needed, but AAU mandates the med school is on the main campus. OSU doesn't have a true med school.

[BG918]

I'd be curious what caused the big drop. I'd say reduced state funding could be a reason but OSU didn't see a huge drop. I'd like to see OU return to that #4 slot behind Texas and the two private universities TCU and Baylor.

[jonny d]

Might be a higher weight on low-income graduates. But I could be wrong.

[Bunty]

The majority of states for the last 5 years have been increasing funding for education, rather than cutting it as Oklahoma has done. Oklahoma has cut funding more than any other state. If the state legislature would start restoring cuts from increased revenues, it's bound to help. It's bound to help the economy of Oklahoma's college towns as well. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/...6-percent-2018

[Lazio85]

How U.S. News Calculated the 2019 Best Colleges Rankings
https://www.usnews.com/education/bes...d-the-rankings

[Lazio85]

Best Colleges Ranking Criteria and Weights
https://www.usnews.com/education/bes...ia-and-weights

[Lazio85]

[dankrutka]

And, don't worry, if the "right" universities don't end up on top, U.S. News & World Report will just change the formula again to ensure they are. I said on every thread about these rankings, but they're a gimmick and they're gamed, often to the detriment of educational quality. However, our society loves rankings so U.S. News & World Report will keep making money off them and these rankings will continue to exert influence. And obviously the formula is much more a reflection of the wealth of the university than if it is best in anything. Sorry, I know I repeat the same stuff every time these rankings come out.

[Plutonic Panda]

Another racist incident for OU.

https://kfor.com/2019/01/18/we-want-...-two-students/

[catcherinthewry]

Wasn't there a story recently that Boren had been padding some stats to raise OU's status? Maybe this reflects the results of no longer padding.

[Rover]

Wasn't there a story recently that Boren had been padding some stats to raise OU's status? Maybe this reflects the results of no longer padding.

I don’t think this rating uses any of the criteria about number and % of alumni donors does it?

[Uptowner]

Social mobility is a big factor. And the schools that serve more rural areas (like middle and central Texas) are far more likely to have graduates of a low income family move on to masters programs or the first in the family to have a college degree. I got my undergraduate from OU and most of the kids I went to school with were children of upper middle class alums or central OK residents who didn’t want to move away from mom & dads McMansion but also can’t afford out of state tuition. If you take the same factor and add to a school like Texas tech, and it probably skyrocketed in the ranks.