For the fourth year in a row, U.S. News and World Report ranked the Dartmouth ninth in its annual America's Best Colleges report.
Harvard joined last year's number one school, Princeton, in a tie for first place for 2004. Rounding out the top schools were Yale in third place, Massachusetts Institute of Technology in fourth, California Institute of Technology, Duke, Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania tied for fifth place, while Dartmouth shared its number nine ranking with Washington University in St. Louis. Rounding out the Ivy League were Columbia and Cornell in 11th and 14th places respectively.
Though the ranking formula was changed slightly this year, eliminating the consideration of yield (the percentage of accepted students who enroll), the controversial peer assessment score, which is based on the opinions of high-ranking administrators from peer schools, remains the largest single factor in the rankings, comprising 25 percent of the overall score.
While top-ranked Princeton and Harvard received 4.9 out of a maximum of 5 points on the peer assessment scale, Dartmouth was given just 4.4. U.S. News defends the heavy weight given to peer assessment and the methodology for obtaining the arbitrary score.
"The U.S. News ranking formula gives greatest weight to the opinion of those in a position to judge a school's academic excellence," Richard Folkers, Director of Media Relations for U.S. News said. "We contact presidents, provosts, and deans of admission at peer institutions to account for intangibles such as faculty dedication to teaching. In the last 20 years we have found that the professional standing of a school as determined by its peer institutions is an important thing to look at."
Other factors contributing to a school's overall score include retention and faculty resources, each comprising 20 percent of the overall score; student selectivity, comprising 15 percent; financial resources, which make up 10 percent, and alumni giving rate and graduation rate, each worth five percent of the overall score.
Each year college admissions offices across the country openly question the methodology and usefulness of the rankings, accusing the rankings of being unable to capture the intangible qualities of a given institution. However, Folkers dismisses these allegations, calling the rankings a "tool designed to help students find a school that's right for them. That's why we give all of those categories, because the overall ranking is not the only important factor," he said.
Last month the Princeton Review also released its rankings for 2004, though they are very different from those of U.S. News. Dartmouth ranked in the top 10 in seven categories: Toughest to Get Into (#9), Great College Library (#4), Beautiful Campus (#9), Great Food (#6), Happy Students (#3), Best Quality of Life (#4) Major Frat and Sorority Scene (#10) and Lots of Beer (#5). The college was also ranked highly in the categories Best Overall Academic Experience for Undergraduates (#20) and Dorms Like Palaces (#17).
Finishing off the whirlwind of recent college and university rankings, the Wall Street Journal ranked Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business second after having been number one for the past two years. The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business captured the number one spot this year.
"The Journal's ranking is particularly important because of its tremendous worldwide reach and prestige," Tuck Dean Paul Danos, said. "We're proud that we continue to be viewed as one of the best business schools in the world."
Kristine Laca, Dean of Admissions for the Tuck School, was equally pleased with the ranking. "We are thrilled that the Wall Street Journal continues to recognize Tuck as a leader in MBA education," she said. "I have every reason to believe that this ranking will continue to encourage more prospective students to learn what make Tuck so unique among the top business schools."
Tuck was specifically recognized for excellence in the academic concentrations of general management (#2) and strategy (#3), as well as being the third best school for recruiting ethical graduates.
