US News Report Rankings 2015-2016

[Sportsman5]

UConn 58 last year.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/uconn-29013/rankings

 

[Hoophound]

Not to be a whiner, but UConn has been making some huge moves in terms of investment and I feel like we are plateauing in these rankings a bit. I'd like to see a quantum leap in the rankings as it would just enhance our P5 profile. However, there is a lot of politics and gamesmanship involved in these rankings and I hope we play the game. I've noticed some smaller regional schools really putting themselves on the map in these rankings and in order for them to go from unranked to ranked or middling to top 5, they must be doing something to enhance their profile under US News guidelines.

I'd make an effort to really kiss some butt and figure out how to reach top 15 and then immediately start shooting for top 10. I'm not saying we deserve to be higher, I'm just saying that we should be higher than a few schools above us.

 

[MASSconn]

Not to be a whiner, but UConn has been making some huge moves in terms of investment and I feel like we are plateauing in these rankings a bit. I'd like to see a quantum leap in the rankings as it would just enhance our P5 profile. However, there is a lot of politics and gamesmanship involved in these rankings and I hope we play the game. I've noticed some smaller regional schools really putting themselves on the map in these rankings and in order for them to go from unranked to ranked or middling to top 5, they must be doing something to enhance their profile under US News guidelines.

I'd make an effort to really kiss some butt and figure out how to reach top 15 and then immediately start shooting for top 10. I'm not saying we deserve to be higher, I'm just saying that we should be higher than a few schools above us.

It's still progress when you're keeping the same ranking year by year. This is an arms race. Our endowment is very low compared to the schools around us in the Public and National University Rankings (including more than 5 B1G schools that sit behind us in the rankings ). We also are losing the P5 dollars.

Great progress under Herbst. Investments going into the campus tenfold. Would love to see us break the Top 50 and Top 15 Public by 2018 (and join B1G then too).

 

[itgoeslike]

Not to be a whiner, but UConn has been making some huge moves in terms of investment and I feel like we are plateauing in these rankings a bit. I'd like to see a quantum leap in the rankings as it would just enhance our P5 profile. However, there is a lot of politics and gamesmanship involved in these rankings and I hope we play the game. I've noticed some smaller regional schools really putting themselves on the map in these rankings and in order for them to go from unranked to ranked or middling to top 5, they must be doing something to enhance their profile under US News guidelines.

I'd make an effort to really kiss some butt and figure out how to reach top 15 and then immediately start shooting for top 10. I'm not saying we deserve to be higher, I'm just saying that we should be higher than a few schools above us.

These rankings (as well as perceptions) always lag a little. Also, much of the investment being made won't start generating a return for a couple/few years. We can see what's coming, but it actually has to be in place to start affecting the rankings. Lastly, since the university is looking to grow enrollment, UConn will likely hold steady at the acceptance rate. The investments will eventually kick in and we'll see another round of advancement.

 

[Sportsman5]

Not to be a whiner, but UConn has been making some huge moves in terms of investment and I feel like we are plateauing in these rankings a bit. I'd like to see a quantum leap in the rankings as it would just enhance our P5 profile. However, there is a lot of politics and gamesmanship involved in these rankings and I hope we play the game. I've noticed some smaller regional schools really putting themselves on the map in these rankings and in order for them to go from unranked to ranked or middling to top 5, they must be doing something to enhance their profile under US News guidelines.

I'd make an effort to really kiss some butt and figure out how to reach top 15 and then immediately start shooting for top 10. I'm not saying we deserve to be higher, I'm just saying that we should be higher than a few schools above us.

The metrics that tend to be consistent from year to year have improved, but the ones that fluctuate from year to year are down a little bit for uconn this year. For example, the 6 year graduation rate, which accounts for a huge part of the score at 18%, went from 83% for last years ranking to 81% this year.

Overall UConn is improving, but it has prioritized certain things that have held UConn back from increasing certain metrics. I like the mission of UConn, but put simply the addition of increased foreign students and minorities has a negative impact on certain stats like graduation rate. Its just a fact, so please don't hold it against me as I do believe the net impact overall for the university outside the rankings is positive. But things like graduation rate and SAT scores could be higher if uconns main mission was to admit the highest achieving academic students.

 

[amory]

I don't really know much about UF other than they have good sports and hot girls, but I'm always pretty surprised at how high they are in rankings.

 

[Sportsman5]

I don't really know much about UF other than they have good sports and hot girls, but I'm always pretty surprised at how high they are in rankings.

Not much competition from top private schools for students and they keep the incoming class relatively small and fill a lot of their student body with transfer students who don't count towards any of the usnw report metrics. It's a good strategy that works well.

 

[Chuck]

I take the privates out of the equation. Except for the Ivy's and a few others, which should win in every metric, they just have a different mission that's always going to give them a benefit.

From my count, it puts us tied for 19 public with MD (or 18 if you take out William and Mary which is run more like a liberal arts private)? Top 20 public school is pretty outstanding in my opinion. Especially when you see that the Cal system has 6 of the schools above us.

From a non-resident, great work by the University and state over the years.

 

[billybud]

Florida is pretty decent..
... the middle 50% of the incoming 2014 class had a HS GPA of 4.1-4.5, a SAT of 1810-2060, and an ACT of 27-31.

...they admitted 47% of the 27,107 that applied....that's a sizable class IMHO

 

[Drew]

http://www.courant.com/education/hc-college-rankings-0908-20150908-story.html

UConn in at #19 among public national universities and still in the top 60 nationally among all national universities. Really impressive and figures to only improve from our investments in research and campus life.

 

[itgoeslike]

Not much competition from top private schools for students and they keep the incoming class relatively small and fill a lot of their student body with transfer students who don't count towards any of the usnw report metrics. It's a good strategy that works well.

University Of Florida has also benefitted from the Florida Prepaid Tuition Program. Many of the top students that want to stay in-state really only have UF as an option, which has made it pretty competitive for in-state applicants. The program has also benefitted other public universities in Florida.

 

[Sportsman5]

Florida is pretty decent..
... the middle 50% of the incoming 2014 class had a HS GPA of 4.1-4.5, a SAT of 1810-2060, and an ACT of 27-31.

...they admitted 47% of the 27,107 that applied....that's a sizable class IMHO

Yes, but uf is the top public university in one of the largest states in the country with very little competition from private schools or even public schools within a huge radius. Hence Florida's yield rate of accepted students is twice as high as UConn. About 25% of accepted students choose to attend UConn vs 50% for uf. I have family that went to uf, so in no way am I bringing the school down. However, the school has an advantage in attracting top students that schools in the northeast don't have. So that explains why they score high on certain metrics that place the school above UConn in this particular ranking system.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

6-Year Graduation Rate, small endowment, and acceptance rate need to improve (two of the three are good, just not good enough to jump the schools ahead of us).

 

[Sportsman5]

6-Year Graduation Rate, small endowment, and acceptance rate need to improve (two of the three are good, just not good enough to jump the schools ahead of us).

The problem with the endowment is that compounding investment return will outpace any additional giving UConn gets over other schools that have 1 billion +. For example, it takes about 8-10 years to double an endowment. So a school at 1 billion now will be at 2 billion 10 years from now even if they spend 100% of their donations. UConn would be at 800 million and would need enormous donations way beyond what we get now to catch up. Soon donations won't matter very much compared to the principal amount. The only way UConn will ever even come close to the public universities ahead of it will be to get an enormous donation from someone or have the economy basically collapse and force everyone's endowments to start over. So I would just forget about that stat for now.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

The problem with the endowment is that compounding investment return will outpace any additional giving UConn gets over other schools that have 1 billion +. For example, it takes about 8-10 years to double an endowment. So a school at 1 billion now will be at 2 billion 10 years from now even if they spend 100% of their donations. UConn would be at 800 million and would need enormous donations way beyond what we get now to catch up. Soon donations won't matter very much compared to the principal amount. The only way UConn will ever even come close to the public universities ahead of it will be to get an enormous donation from someone or have the economy basically collapse and force everyone's endowments to start over. So I would just forget about that stat for now.

No, we will have to do it the old fashioned way. Wait for two very wealth UConn fans to die and will us a boatload of funds.

You are correct, traditional growth will never close the gap.

 

[Sportsman5]

No, we will have to do it the old fashioned way. Wait for two very wealth UConn fans to die and will us a boatload of funds.

You are correct, traditional growth will never close the gap.

It's still an important thing to have so the funds can be allocated to help the university. What UConn needs to focus on is helping its students in entrepreneurship way more than it does now. We need some serious tech incubators on campus to help students start fast growing companies for both the economy and to create big donors

 

[SubbaBub]

Most endowments are built through giving campaign drives of mostly small annual donations and bequests. The larger public endowments are from a lot of alumni giving over a long period of time. Yes there are some large angel donors, but this is not the norm.

If you are an alum and haven't dontated, then you should consider doing so. Uconn may not have 600,000 living alumni, but 200,000 isn't a stretch. $500/yr on average is $100M.

Presumably, you count Uconn as a reason for your success. Consider giving back, regardless of the amount.

 

[mets1090]

Unfortunately, many grads from the last ~10 years have $20k or more in student loans to pay off so a lot of them can't or won't donate until that debt is paid. I was fortunate enough to have significantly less than that so I'm able to donate a little bit with my football tickets but anything more than that would be a real stretch. Can't imagine I'd even be able to make that donation if I was paying a few hundred dollars a month towards loans.

This probably hasn't made a huge impact on annual donations, but like you said most of it is the sum of a lot of small donations so every bit matters.

 

[SubbaBub]

Unfortunately, many grads from the last ~10 years have $20k or more in student loans to pay off so a lot of them can't or won't donate until that debt is paid. I was fortunate enough to have significantly less than that so I'm able to donate a little bit with my football tickets but anything more than that would be a real stretch. Can't imagine I'd even be able to make that donation if I was paying a few hundred dollars a month towards loans.

This probably hasn't made a huge impact on annual donations, but like you said most of it is the sum of a lot of small donations so every bit matters.

No offense, but loans are eventually paid off and 20k isn't a huge college debt. Mine was over 6 figures. Plus there is life after 35. Plus $40/mo shouldn't be a stretch for a college grad with a job.

If you want to give less, give less, they won't be offended. You choose your own priorities. And I said average, the older (and deader) folks usually give more.

I'm not an alum, so I'm not pimping for State U. But, people were complaining about something with only one solution.

 

[UConn9604]

No offense, but loans are eventually paid off and 20k isn't a huge college debt. Mine was over 6 figures. Plus there is life after 35. Plus $40/mo shouldn't be a stretch for a college grad with a job.

If you want to give less, give less, they won't be offended. You choose your own priorities. And I said average, the older (and deader) folks usually give more.

I'm not an alum, so I'm not pimping for State U. But, people were complaining about something with only one solution.

If this study is to be believed - and I have no reason to doubt it - the median annual salary difference between a college grad with a bachelor's and a high school grad was about $17,500 in 2013.

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles...en-young-college-and-high-school-grads-widens

In most cases, i.e., the vast majority of cases, debt associated with college loans is worth it. I know it was for me.

If we had half of our alumni donating $40 per month, we'd be in tremendous shape.