University rankings are popular, and often a starting point for many students when choosing a college or university, but do they guide applicants to the schools that fit their academic and career goals best?

For Jeromel Dela Rosa Lara, a Harvard University sophomore studying social anthropology and comparative study of religion, the school’s high ranking sparked his interest, but was not the focal point for his decision to attend the Ivy League university.

“I wanted to learn more about how the professors teach their courses, who the professors are, and what fields of studies I can pursue,” said Lara, a first-generation student from a low-income background.

He was admitted to Harvard on a full scholarship.

“Of course, university rankings are nice. But if there were no opportunities or scholarships being offered to first-generation, low-income students to attend these universities, I would not be in this school right now,” he said.

Harvard and a handful of other Ivy League universities — named for their age and depth of teaching — are needs-blind schools, meaning applicants will not be denied entry because they are unable to pay. Those schools make efforts to provide scholarships, grants and loans to finance the students’ education.

Ryan O’Connor, who studies computer science at the University of Michigan, said he was looking for top 10 computer science schools when applying, but chose the school because of its campus, environment and social scene.

“I think general groups of rankings are important to consider, such as top 10 or top 20. But I don’t think individual rankings are too important. Groups in a similar position on the list are likely going to have similar academic rigor, and it’s more important to choose the school that feels right at that point,” said O'Connor.

How rankings are measured

Some of the most notable university ranking publications and sites are Academic Ranking of World Universities (also known as the Shanghai Ranking), Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings, The Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE WUR), The Princeton Review (not affiliated with Princeton University), and the U.S. News & World Report global ranking.

These sites do not rank all schools by the same criteria.

QS evaluates universities on academic reputation (40%), employer reputation (10%), faculty/student ratio (20%), citations per faculty (20%), and international faculty ratio/international student ratio (5% each).

Shanghai Rankings tallies awards, such as how many university staff have won Nobel prizes. U.S. News & World Report rankings uses 13 indicators, including global research reputation, regional research reputation, and percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited.

Educational counselors advise students to avoid the dazzle of rankings and evaluate colleges and universities on their compatibility over discipline, geography, size, cost and value.

Why do students gravitate toward university rankings?

“I think [rankings] play a huge role and they certainly did for me. Just because, I left Ghana to find the best opportunities I could find for myself to achieve the goals that I had,” said Dennis Nyanyo, an international student from Ghana who is in his second year at Harvard Medical School. “And I guess the rankings of the universities were one of the proxies that I used to determine that.”

Nyanyo, who went to Cornell for his undergraduate studies with full financial aid, said rankings gave him a better perception of what kind of university to enroll in, but were not the most important factors.

“As much as university rankings play into prestige, the quality of the education that you get there, I think, plays a much stronger role in the outcome for you as a person. And I had a very good experience at Cornell, but I think that’s something that people need to consider more,” he said.

Other students mentioned that rankings may draw students in because of the desire to want the best things in life.

“I think there’s always an allure for prestige and having a high ranking,” Lara said. “Since a ranking is kind of a hierarchy, there is prestige and privilege that people sort of look up to or are drawn to. So, I think that’s the reason that many people gravitate to university rankings.”

Joon Baek is from South Korea and studying computer science and physics at Columbia University. He said as an international student, he sees some value in university rankings

“Since you’re applying to a country that you don’t have a good knowledge of, university rankings serve a purpose to figure out what kind of universities are out there and what are widely known,” he said. “It could be a good reference, but I never saw it as more of a reference. Just because it’s a top 20, doesn’t mean it will be the right fit.”

Baek added the fixation on rankings could also tie in with university cost.

“There are people who spend a lot of money to attend these universities. There is a mindset where rankings are one way of rationalizing why people spend so much on tuition. That is some of the sentiment I have seen among my peers,” he said.

Do rankings accurately represent a university’s value?

“I think that high-ranking universities have professors, students, and systems that reflect that ranking. When we look at a top-ranking university’s alumni or the faculty’s achievements, I think those are good measures to determine whether a school deserves that title or not,” said Haeun Choi, a master’s candidate at Seoul National University’s (SNU) Graduate School of International Studies.

Choi, who will attend SNU, the No. 1 university in South Korea, ranked No. 37 in the world, says that rankings were a key factor when looking at graduate schools.

“When I applied to grad schools, I only applied to top-ranking ones knowing I’d be exposed to better opportunities,” said Choi.

Other students disagreed and said college rankings do not do a good job of measuring a school’s value.

“They often only consider the academic standing of the school; they omit the campus feel, student body, extracurriculars, and cost. Cost is pretty relevant because the most expensive schools are usually at the top of these rankings,” said O’Connor.

“When you combine that with the idea that several contiguous schools on these lists could be tied, but they just aren’t represented that way, you realize that some of these schools are just $10K or $15K more expensive per year for the same academic rigor, and often, less social value,” he added.

Abigael Thomas, a sophomore at Hong Kong University School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE) Community College, also said that rankings were unrealistic measurements because of the rating institution’s criteria.

“When I looked at the ranking criteria, I realized a lot of it is based on academic reputation, employer reputation, and the amount of international students that they have,” said Thomas. “Of course, you do get more opportunities in renowned universities, but I think when it comes to education, it’s more about what you do in school.”

It’s tough to gain admission to Yale University, and it’s getting even tougher for international students as standout students from around the world set their sights on Yale.

The Yale Dale News, the campus newspaper, takes a look at the situation here.

Read the full story here.

Ruth Chane, a computer science major from Ethiopia, writes about her experiences settling into student life at Whitman College in the U.S. state of Washington.

"The community at Whitman College made sure I felt welcomed even before I stepped foot on campus," she says.

Read her essay here.

In The Student Life, the student newspaper for the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five liberal art colleges and two graduate schools in Claremont, California, student Rochelle Lu writes about readjusting to her Shanghai home after spending a semester in the United States.

Read the full story here.

Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

Read the full article here.

Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

• Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
• Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
• Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.

The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.

It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.

In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.

Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.

"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.

The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.

An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."

House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."

Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.

Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.

The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.

"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."

The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.

STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)

U.S. News & World report addresses some of the misconceptions about U.S. colleges and universities, including the difficulty of getting a visa.

Read the full story here. (January 2025)

US News & World Report details the three top factors in foreign students' decision to study in the U.S. They include research opportunities and the reputation of U.S. degrees. Read the full story here. (December 2024)

A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.

Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.

Read the full story here. (December 2024)

Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health reaches out to international students by detailing the international student experience at the school.

Learn more about housing, life in Boston and more here.

China issued its first national action plan to build a "strong education nation" by 2035, which it said would help coordinate its education development, improve efficiencies in innovation and build a "strong country."

The plan, issued Sunday by the Communist Party's central committee and the State Council, aims to establish a "high quality education system" with accessibility and quality "among the best in the world."

The announcement was made after data on Friday showed China's population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024, with the number of deaths outpacing a slight increase in births, and experts cautioning that the downturn will worsen in the coming years.

High childcare and education costs have been a key factor for many young Chinese opting out of having children, at a time when many face uncertainty over their job prospects amid sluggish economic growth.

"By 2035, an education power will be built," the official Xinhua news agency said, adding that China would explore gradually expanding the scope of free education, increase "high-quality" undergraduate enrolment, expand postgraduate education, and raise the proportion of doctoral students.

The plan aims to promote "healthy growth and all-round development of students," making sure primary and secondary school students have at least two hours of physical activity daily, to effectively control the myopia, or nearsightedness, and obesity rates.

"Popularizing" mental health education and establishing a national student mental health monitoring and early warning system would also be implemented, it said.

It also aims to narrow the gap between urban and rural areas to improve the operating conditions of small-scale rural schools and improve the care system for children with disabilities and those belonging to agricultural migrant populations.

The plan also aims to steadily increase the supply of kindergarten places and the accessibility of preschool education.

The Open Notebook, a site focusing on educating journalists who cover science, has complied a list of U.S. graduate program financial aid information for international students.

Read it here.