Postsecondary Institutional Rankings for Assessing Economic and Social Mobility

• In Event: Examining Higher Education Issues

Abstract

As students and parents navigate the important decision of where to apply and attend college, institutional rankings provide an important source of information to sway their decisions. These considerations motivate this study of the current college ranking systems and how these ranking systems measure the economic mobility of disadvantaged students. Consequently, this study has two separate and related goals: 1) to provide an objective summary of the various types of college ranking systems and the variables that are prioritized in each system, and 2) combine features of multiple ranking systems to provide an index of how well colleges and universities perform for disadvantaged students, as defined by low-income students, first generation students, and students of color.

Authors

• Janet K. Holt, Illinois Education Research Council

• Steven Lawton, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

• Mary Frazier-Meyers, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville