“…this year's list comes amid a growing backlash. Critics, some of whom produce their own college guides, have questioned the magazine's methodology. At least 63 college leaders have signed a letter agreeing not to fill out the reputation survey, which now accounts for 25 percent of the rankings. More are expected to join in the boycott.

Education Conservancy, a non-profit group, is leading the boycott with a stated objective to promote better practices in college admissions. The boycott and criticism comes amidst the growing and unprecedented influence that the rankings have garnered among many schools. Some colleges and universities have changed policy and awarded bonuses to presidents and administrators who effectively increased their ranking. Higher rankings translate into According to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education that quoted a study presented recently at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, a higher ranking translates into better student recruiting and potentially higher revenue for schools.

“Colleges that disdain magazine rankings might want to think twice before writing them off. A new study has found that students who use the rankings are more likely than their peers to earn top grades and to come from wealthy families.

Are these college rankings important?

Here is my quick list of answers.

The US News & World Report college rankings are important to

US News & World Report because the publisher is eager to sell more magazines and ads in its magazine.

Universities and colleges because it is a survey of peers and is really the best marketing you could pay for – its free and it brings in more students and tuition

Companies that recruit college students because they want to find the best talent possible

For the constituents above, it is about selling ads, increasing tuition and buying talent.

However, somewhere in the mix there are also several hundred thousands 18-year olds trying to figure out where to go to college and their parents trying to figure out to pay for it. Does the survey get a passing grade for them? After all, they are the customer in this transaction.

The Chronicle of Higher Education noted that

“….students who found college rankings to be a ‘very important’ factor in their college choice represented just 11 per cent of those surveyed. Sixty per cent said the rankings were ‘not at all’ important, and 30 per cent called them ‘somewhat important.’

In other words, nearly 90% of the students surveyed considered the rankings to not be important at all in their decision to choose a college. Now, I can’t say that most 18-year olds would know a good survey or ranking if it sat next to them in study hall, but it still is quite remarkable that for all the money, time and finger pointing spent in this ranking exercise, the customer (and of course their parents), don’t really pay attention.

Maybe the fact that the overall response rate to the magazine's survey reached its lowest level ever this year is a bell weather that everyone else is finally getting as smart as the incoming freshmen.