MIT ends Princeton’s long run at top of US college rankings

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has taken the top spot in the latest U.S. News & World Report best colleges ranking, ending Princeton University’s run at No. 1 since the 2012 edition.

The shift, however, does not necessarily reflect a major change in the quality of education at either institution. The change largely stems from a revision to the methodology used to calculate the rankings, with greater emphasis placed on graduates’ earnings, according to Morningstar.

The new methodology introduced a measure assessing the earnings of graduates within their chosen majors. MIT was the strongest performer under the new measure, according to Eric Brooks, U.S. News’ director of education data analysis.

Other science, technology and engineering-focused institutions also climbed the rankings. The California Institute of Technology rose six places to No. 5, Carnegie Mellon University advanced six places to No. 14, while Stevens Institute of Technology jumped 21 places to No. 59.

These institutions “excelled” under the new earnings measure, Brooks said.

The methodology change comes amid growing concerns among students and parents about the cost and value of higher education. Only 38% of Americans now say they have a great deal of confidence in US higher education, down from 57% in 2015, according to Gallup.

Robert Kelchen, a University of Tennessee professor who studies higher education, said the rankings were responding to what students and families increasingly want from college.

“They want good-paying jobs, they want to know that there's a return on investment.”

The new measure examines the earnings of federal financial-aid recipients whose highest degree is a bachelor’s, four years after graduation. By focusing on aid recipients, U.S. News aims to reduce the influence of family wealth and connections on graduates’ earnings.

The ranking also compares graduates within individual majors, an attempt to prevent colleges with large numbers of high-paying degrees from gaining an automatic advantage.

“They are trying to take students' majors into account, which is good,” Kelchen said. Still, he added, “I'm not sure how granular they get in trying to control for it or if it's really possible.”

The changes have also affected several major public universities. UC Berkeley fell five places, UCLA dropped three places to No. 20 and the University of Michigan fell five places to No. 25. The University of Maryland and University of Washington each dropped seven places to No. 49.

Stevens President Nariman Farvardin said the institution had long focused on graduates’ career outcomes.

“The focus that we've had on student success not only in the form of graduating from college but also putting the graduates on a successful career trajectory has been in the forefront of our mind for as long as I remember,” he said.

The median earnings of Stevens graduates who received financial aid were $112,538 four years after graduation, compared with $60,377 nationally for four-year colleges, according to government data.

Farvardin cautioned against placing too much weight on annual rankings.

“No university will change that much, either for the better or for the worse, in one year,” he said. “Over these years I have recognized that I'm not designing my university based on how we perform in rankings. When you play tennis you try to keep your eyes on the ball, not on the scoreboard.”

By Sabina Mammadli