In 2022, Northeastern ranked among the top 50 national universities, according to the US News annual report. In its most recent 2024 ranking, released on September 18, the university was ranked 53rd, a significant drop from its 44th the last year.
Many colleges that had enjoyed top spots on the list in previous years also saw drastic drops in rankings, likely as a result significant changes to US News' methodology and ranking formula. Some students believe the fall is not a fair representation of Northeastern's situation.
“I think our institution doesn't really qualify for the US News school rankings because of our co-op program,” said Eli Kahn, a third-year computer science and design major. “They actually take into account how many students graduate in four years, and students from the Northeast graduate multiple times in five years because of co-op.”
Northeastern's sudden descent from the top 50 national universities begs the question of how exactly US News — described as most influential university ranking systems in the country — judges universities and what factors they look at.
Among other institutions in the greater Boston area, Northeastern ranked below Boston University, Tufts University and Boston College, which ranked 43rd, 40th and 39th, respectively. Harvard University and MIT continue to compete for the title of best university in Massachusetts.
The 90-year-old company began ranking universities in 1983, creating a comprehensive system for prospective students to use when deciding where to continue their education. According to US News article Describing the new methodology, the publication's main considerations are the quality of the academic environment and the outcome of graduate students in the workforce, but they also look at factors that “vary from person to person, such as campus culture, strength in specific majors and the financial help offered”.
To be considered in the ranking process, US News reported, institutions must meet a number of qualifications, including regional accreditation, enrollment of more than 100 undergraduates, regular reporting of financial expenditures and a six-year graduation rate.
In recent years, US News rankings have become an integral part of the college search and application process for prospective students and parents. Despite US News' long history, complex college ranking system and impact on college perception, Northeastern officials and students on the Boston campus aren't so sure the new and lower ranking affects them at all.
“Personally, I don't take it too seriously,” said Renee Andaran, a fifth major international affairs major. “I think when I was first applying to universities that were very important to me, especially as an international student — that I really wanted to go to a university that was ranked higher — but now that I'm graduating, the US News ranking is not really matter.”
Other students and university leaders believe the college rankings don't apply at all to Northeastern, given the 125-year-old institution's unique experiential learning system and significant five-year program as opposed to the traditional four.
“Northeastern is the number one university in the world for global experiential learning,” Renata Nyul, Northeastern's vice president of communications, wrote in an emailed statement to The News. “This is the primary reason that the quantity and quality of applications at Northeastern break records every year.”
Given Northeastern's record application volume, which has grown nearly 50% in recent years, and an all-time low acceptance rate of 5.6% from a pool of 96,327 applicants in 2023, it doesn't appear that the university is taking a hit from public opinion .
But despite the prevailing indifference from Northeastern's students and faculty to the lower US News ranking, some suspect the ranking may have a negative impact on the university.
Fifth-year PhD student Levi Watts believes that because Northeastern dropped eight spots, there are bound to be consequences.
“Obviously, if you fall in the rankings, then you're probably less likely to have the same kind of funding,” Watts said. “Well, I think there will be some sort of result.”
Douglas Scott, a graphic design professor, disagreed, saying schools generally don't care about rankings. He questioned the legitimacy and reliability of the ranking formula, a common concern raised by other institutions and publications. According to Scott, the scores are rather insignificant and would not have an immediate impact on Northeastern.
“I think it's more important to be listed as an important school whether it's in the top 100 or the top 200. Think about how many schools there are,” Scott said. “There's so little difference between a whole bunch of schools that are similar that you can't even trust those numbers.”
The university's position in other ranking systems varies widely — It ranks 138th in the Wall Street Journal and College Pulse's Best Colleges 2024 and 96th in WalletHub's 2024 rankings.
