9/21/2023 - @Anthony
Northeastern University might seem like an aberration being ranked #53 on US News’ list even though it has an acceptance rate of <7%: according to the Boston Magazine, this is, in part, because of Northeastern’s implementation of specific policies to ascend rankings lists to counter federal budget cuts and to ensure the long-term survival of the institution:
“But Freeland”, the college president, ”had a plan. Freeland believed that if Northeastern could justify its increased costs to students and parents, it could be saved. And one gauge consistently determined a college’s value: its position on the U.S. News & World Report ’Best Colleges’ rankings. Freeland observed how schools ranked highly received increased visibility and prestige, stronger applicants, more alumni giving, and, most important, greater revenue potential.”
Some of the policies implemented by Northeastern include lobbying US News to include its co-op system in the rankings formula, opening up nearly a dozen satellite campuses worldwide, allegedly requiring “students with lower grades and SAT scores to spend their first semester abroad and begin their on-campus experience in the spring”—students who would therefore not be included in fall admissions data— and to admit a higher percentage of full-pay international students.
I (@Anthony ) would personally argue both that Northeastern is nowhere near the only school to have focused heavily on ascending rankings lists and that their focus has genuinely improved the quality of their institution, securing more funding for larger and more advanced programs.
9/21/2023 - @Anthony
I wasn’t able to find an acceptance rate for Northeastern’s class of 2027 (primarily for its main campus in Ruggles), so I’ve used the acceptance rate of their class of 2026 (via their CDS).