Inside Crimson Education: Our Global Offices and Team
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It seems that the US News rankings cannot catch a break. Until now some of the top law schools and medical schools have announced their intention to not submit data for the rankings publication. It seemed that undergraduate rankings would continue as planned. However, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) has now become the first university to pull out of the undergraduate rankings.
RISD said U.S. News’ methodology does not capture how its students learn. The college also referenced a recent alumni survey that showed a majority of them “were proud of and happy with their RISD education.” “We believe that these outcomes speak to the impact and effectiveness of a RISD education,” Williams said. RISD, based in Providence, enrolls about 2,570 students, according to the most recently available federal data. Most of those are undergraduates.
Until last year, U.S. News & World Report categorized RISD and other art and design schools as “Speciality Schools: Art.” Under this heading, RISD’s undergraduate programs (reflecting 80 percent of matriculants) were unranked. However and as a result of small curriculum changes to some of RISD’s programs, last year it was categorized as a “regional school.” Despite the change, RISD ranked high in its group. However, the university said it had very little in common with the other universities in its group, Higher Ed Dive has reported.
The US News rankings have taken a beating recently, with top institutions quitting and also a series of allegations that the publication uses false data for its listings. They have promised to reform law school rankings to counter some of the criticism. It remains to be seen whether other undergraduate programs will join RISD.
RISD is not the first undergraduate institution to step away from the rankings. Reed College, in Oregon, exited the rankings in 1995 and it is still known for the decision today!