2014 USNews rankings
Sept 10, 2013 23:05:32 GMT -6
Post by Big D on Sept 10, 2013 23:05:32 GMT -6
The 2014 USNews rankings are out...pretty good year for UIC - this may be our highest ranking ever! Like last year, I've compared UIC to Depaul, Loyola, and UWM.
U.S. News Ranking (RNP = rank not published)
UIC: #128 (up from #147 in 2013; up from #150 in 2012; up from #143 in 2011)
Depaul: #121 (up from #134 in 2013; down from #132 in 2012)
Loyola: #101 (up from #106 in 2013; up from #119 in 2012)
UWM: RNP (RNP in 2013; unranked 2012)
Rankings, Scores & Key Indicators
Score: 42 (up from 38 in 2012 and 2013)
High school counselor score (out of 5): 3.7 (unchanged from 2013; improved from 3.4 in 2012)
Average freshman retention rate: 80% (unchanged from 2012 and 2013)
6-year graduation rate: 58% (improved from 54% in 2013; improved from 53% in 2012)
Classes with under 20 students: 34% (improved from 28.7% in 2013; improved from 29.8% in 2012)
Classes with 50 or more students: 18% (improved from 19% in 2012 and 2103)
Student-faculty ratio: 17:1 (improved from 19:1 in 2013; unchanged from 2012)
Fall 2012 acceptance rate: 63.9% (worsened from 62.8% in 2011; worsened from fall 2010 rate of 63%)
U.S. News Rankings details
#63 Top Public Schools (up from #77 in 2013 and #79 in 2012)
#104 High School Counselor Rankings (down from #100 in 2013 and up from #147 in 2012) (Depaul: #104, Loyola: #69, UWM: #127)
#105 Part-time M.B.A. (down big time from #105 in 2013; down from #59 in 2012) (Depaul: #50, Loyola: #43, UWM: #105)
#32 Best Education Schools (up from #38 in 2013; up from #41 in 2012) (Depaul: #141, Loyola: #91, UWM: #65)
#65 Best Engineering Schools (down from #64 in 2013; up from #68 in 2012) (UWM: #126)
-- #47 Biomedical/Bioengineering
-- #60 Chemical
-- #80 Civil (UWM: #97)
-- #58 Computer
-- #67 Electrical/Electronic/Communications (UWM: #122)
-- #35 Industrial/Manufacturing/Systems (UWM: #64)
-- #50 Materials (UWM: #70)
-- #61 Mechanical (UWM: #104)
RNP - Best Medical Schools: Primary Care (#92 in 2012) (Loyola: unranked)
#59 Best Medical Schools: Research (up from #62 in 2013; down from #56 in 2012)(Loyola: unranked)
#71 Biological Sciences (unchanged from 2013) (Loyola: #130, UWM: #144)
#67 Chemistry (unchanged from 2013) (Loyola: RNP, UWM: #107)
#42 Clinical Psychology (unchanged from 2013; up from #50 in 2012) (Depaul: #94, Loyola: #60, UWM: #70)
#58 Computer Science (unchanged from 2013) (Depaul: RNP, UWM: #110)
#19 Criminology (unchanged from 2013)
#69 Earth Sciences (unchanged from 2013)
#64 Economics (up from #65 in 2013) (UWM: RNP)
#44 English (down from #41 in 2013) (Loyola: #91, UWM: #52)
#45 Fine Arts (unchanged from 2013; down from #37 in 2012) (UWM: #62)
#42 History (down from #36 in 2013) (Loyola: #104)
#36 Math (unchanged from 2013) (UWM: #104)
#11 Nursing (unchanged from 2013) (Depaul: #127, Loyola: #50, UWM: #36)
-- #6 Clinical Nurse Specialist: Community / Public Health (unchanged from 2013)
-- #16 Nurse Practitioner: Family (unchanged from 2013)
-- #15 Nurse Practitioner: Pediatric (unchanged from 2013)
-- #7 Nursing Service Administration (unchanged from 2013)
#5 Nursing-Midwifery (unchanged from 2013)
#4 Occupational Therapy (unchanged from 2013) (UWM: #28)
#14 Pharmacy (unchanged from 2013; down from #9 in 2012)
#16 Physical Therapy (unchanged from 2013; down from #15 in 2012) (UWM: #63)
#70 Physics (unchanged from 2013) (UWM: #102)
#68 Political Science (down from #62 in 2013) (Loyola: RNP, UWM: #61)
#60 Psychology (unchanged from 2013) (Depaul: #141, Loyola: #117, UWM: #101)
#37 Public Affairs (unchanged from 2013; up from #41 in 2012) (Depaul: #104, UWM: #59)
-- #9 City Management & Urban Policy (unchanged from 2013; down from #8 in 2012)
-- #26 Public Finance & Budgeting (unchanged from 2013; up from #27 in 2012)
#16 Public Health (unchanged from 2013)
#24 Social Work (unchanged from 2013; down from #22 in 2012) (Depaul: #79, Loyola: #44, UWM: #52)
#39 Sociology (up from #41 in 2013) (Loyola: #78)
#18 Best Online Bachelor's Programs (Loyola: #64, Depaul: #58; UWM: #123)
From the above categories, 25 of them can be used to compare UIC to all other schools in each respective category. UIC finished first among the four schools an overwhelming 24 times, and trailed only in part-time MBA. In other words, UIC once again dominated these schools in the field rankings.
So why are Loyola and Depaul still above UIC in the national rankings?
- UIC tied with Depaul with a 3.7 counselor score out of 5. Loyola received a 3.9. Overall, not a huge factor though.
- UIC's freshman retention rate of 80% is 6% below both Loyola and Depaul, which are at 86%.
- UIC's 6-year grad rate is 58% while Depaul's is 68% and Loyola's is 70%.
- Classes w/ fewer than 20 students? UIC - 34%, Loyola - 39.3%, and Depaul - 40.7%.
- Classes w/ more than 50 students? UIC - 18%, Loyola - 7%, Depaul - 1%.
- Student-faculty ratios were not that far off. Loyola has 3 fewer students per faculty member than us. Depaul, just 1.
- Fall 2012 acceptance rate. Ours was 63.9%, Depaul's was about the same at 62.3%, and Loyola lee in anyone that applied at 81.2%.
Retention and grade rate account for 30% of the score. There is room for us to improve there, and I believe we could ultimately pass both Loyola and Depaul if we improve. That is our best chance of moving up right now because we'll likely never be able to compete with privates in class size. Also, the dreaded alumni giving rate of 5%. I imagine we do awful with that. If everyone just gave $1 each year, we'd improve here. The methodology doesn't seem to take into account how much is donated, just how many living alumni gave.
All in all though, a good showing by UIC this year. Don't like seeing category rankings drop, but an overall increase is nice...we're gaining on Depaul.
However, let's now consider the USNews Top 400 world rankings, which are based on QS rankings.
- UIC is at #180 in the world!
- University of Chicago is #8
- Northwestern is #27
- UIUC is #56
- Loyola not in the top 400, but is #551-600 in the QS rankings, which, again, are the basis for the USNews Top 400 (note that this huge drop in ranking is what happens when you start de-emphasizing graduation/retention rates and financial resources, SAT/ACT scores, etc. which is what the QS rankings do because they're too hard to compare internationally).
- Depaul is not even ranked in the top 400, and doesn't even register in the QS rankings.
I think there's little doubt we're still tops in the HL in academics, at least according to these rankings. And the numbers speak for themselves...we top Loyola and Depaul in ALL published categories but part time MBA. Our downfall is not graduating students on time or retaining them. Two points to make here: (1) Some of this probably has to do with us still being a commuter school. It's not for everyone and, unfortunately, some don't learn that til they get here. When they leave after 1st or 2nd semester, this hurts retention; and (2) as has been discussed here before, UIC has suffered zero grade inflation since the 60s...the average grade is a C. UIUC? Northwestern? Rampant grade inflation. Our refusal to pass everyone and just give out As and Bs and collect tuition again probably hurts retention and grad rates. Anyone that's gone to UIC knows you have to work for your grades.
Go UIC! Go Flames!
Be proud of your school!
U.S. News Ranking (RNP = rank not published)
UIC: #128 (up from #147 in 2013; up from #150 in 2012; up from #143 in 2011)
Depaul: #121 (up from #134 in 2013; down from #132 in 2012)
Loyola: #101 (up from #106 in 2013; up from #119 in 2012)
UWM: RNP (RNP in 2013; unranked 2012)
Rankings, Scores & Key Indicators
Score: 42 (up from 38 in 2012 and 2013)
High school counselor score (out of 5): 3.7 (unchanged from 2013; improved from 3.4 in 2012)
Average freshman retention rate: 80% (unchanged from 2012 and 2013)
6-year graduation rate: 58% (improved from 54% in 2013; improved from 53% in 2012)
Classes with under 20 students: 34% (improved from 28.7% in 2013; improved from 29.8% in 2012)
Classes with 50 or more students: 18% (improved from 19% in 2012 and 2103)
Student-faculty ratio: 17:1 (improved from 19:1 in 2013; unchanged from 2012)
Fall 2012 acceptance rate: 63.9% (worsened from 62.8% in 2011; worsened from fall 2010 rate of 63%)
U.S. News Rankings details
#63 Top Public Schools (up from #77 in 2013 and #79 in 2012)
#104 High School Counselor Rankings (down from #100 in 2013 and up from #147 in 2012) (Depaul: #104, Loyola: #69, UWM: #127)
#105 Part-time M.B.A. (down big time from #105 in 2013; down from #59 in 2012) (Depaul: #50, Loyola: #43, UWM: #105)
#32 Best Education Schools (up from #38 in 2013; up from #41 in 2012) (Depaul: #141, Loyola: #91, UWM: #65)
#65 Best Engineering Schools (down from #64 in 2013; up from #68 in 2012) (UWM: #126)
-- #47 Biomedical/Bioengineering
-- #60 Chemical
-- #80 Civil (UWM: #97)
-- #58 Computer
-- #67 Electrical/Electronic/Communications (UWM: #122)
-- #35 Industrial/Manufacturing/Systems (UWM: #64)
-- #50 Materials (UWM: #70)
-- #61 Mechanical (UWM: #104)
RNP - Best Medical Schools: Primary Care (#92 in 2012) (Loyola: unranked)
#59 Best Medical Schools: Research (up from #62 in 2013; down from #56 in 2012)(Loyola: unranked)
#71 Biological Sciences (unchanged from 2013) (Loyola: #130, UWM: #144)
#67 Chemistry (unchanged from 2013) (Loyola: RNP, UWM: #107)
#42 Clinical Psychology (unchanged from 2013; up from #50 in 2012) (Depaul: #94, Loyola: #60, UWM: #70)
#58 Computer Science (unchanged from 2013) (Depaul: RNP, UWM: #110)
#19 Criminology (unchanged from 2013)
#69 Earth Sciences (unchanged from 2013)
#64 Economics (up from #65 in 2013) (UWM: RNP)
#44 English (down from #41 in 2013) (Loyola: #91, UWM: #52)
#45 Fine Arts (unchanged from 2013; down from #37 in 2012) (UWM: #62)
#42 History (down from #36 in 2013) (Loyola: #104)
#36 Math (unchanged from 2013) (UWM: #104)
#11 Nursing (unchanged from 2013) (Depaul: #127, Loyola: #50, UWM: #36)
-- #6 Clinical Nurse Specialist: Community / Public Health (unchanged from 2013)
-- #16 Nurse Practitioner: Family (unchanged from 2013)
-- #15 Nurse Practitioner: Pediatric (unchanged from 2013)
-- #7 Nursing Service Administration (unchanged from 2013)
#5 Nursing-Midwifery (unchanged from 2013)
#4 Occupational Therapy (unchanged from 2013) (UWM: #28)
#14 Pharmacy (unchanged from 2013; down from #9 in 2012)
#16 Physical Therapy (unchanged from 2013; down from #15 in 2012) (UWM: #63)
#70 Physics (unchanged from 2013) (UWM: #102)
#68 Political Science (down from #62 in 2013) (Loyola: RNP, UWM: #61)
#60 Psychology (unchanged from 2013) (Depaul: #141, Loyola: #117, UWM: #101)
#37 Public Affairs (unchanged from 2013; up from #41 in 2012) (Depaul: #104, UWM: #59)
-- #9 City Management & Urban Policy (unchanged from 2013; down from #8 in 2012)
-- #26 Public Finance & Budgeting (unchanged from 2013; up from #27 in 2012)
#16 Public Health (unchanged from 2013)
#24 Social Work (unchanged from 2013; down from #22 in 2012) (Depaul: #79, Loyola: #44, UWM: #52)
#39 Sociology (up from #41 in 2013) (Loyola: #78)
#18 Best Online Bachelor's Programs (Loyola: #64, Depaul: #58; UWM: #123)
From the above categories, 25 of them can be used to compare UIC to all other schools in each respective category. UIC finished first among the four schools an overwhelming 24 times, and trailed only in part-time MBA. In other words, UIC once again dominated these schools in the field rankings.
So why are Loyola and Depaul still above UIC in the national rankings?
- UIC tied with Depaul with a 3.7 counselor score out of 5. Loyola received a 3.9. Overall, not a huge factor though.
- UIC's freshman retention rate of 80% is 6% below both Loyola and Depaul, which are at 86%.
- UIC's 6-year grad rate is 58% while Depaul's is 68% and Loyola's is 70%.
- Classes w/ fewer than 20 students? UIC - 34%, Loyola - 39.3%, and Depaul - 40.7%.
- Classes w/ more than 50 students? UIC - 18%, Loyola - 7%, Depaul - 1%.
- Student-faculty ratios were not that far off. Loyola has 3 fewer students per faculty member than us. Depaul, just 1.
- Fall 2012 acceptance rate. Ours was 63.9%, Depaul's was about the same at 62.3%, and Loyola lee in anyone that applied at 81.2%.
Retention and grade rate account for 30% of the score. There is room for us to improve there, and I believe we could ultimately pass both Loyola and Depaul if we improve. That is our best chance of moving up right now because we'll likely never be able to compete with privates in class size. Also, the dreaded alumni giving rate of 5%. I imagine we do awful with that. If everyone just gave $1 each year, we'd improve here. The methodology doesn't seem to take into account how much is donated, just how many living alumni gave.
All in all though, a good showing by UIC this year. Don't like seeing category rankings drop, but an overall increase is nice...we're gaining on Depaul.
However, let's now consider the USNews Top 400 world rankings, which are based on QS rankings.
- UIC is at #180 in the world!
- University of Chicago is #8
- Northwestern is #27
- UIUC is #56
- Loyola not in the top 400, but is #551-600 in the QS rankings, which, again, are the basis for the USNews Top 400 (note that this huge drop in ranking is what happens when you start de-emphasizing graduation/retention rates and financial resources, SAT/ACT scores, etc. which is what the QS rankings do because they're too hard to compare internationally).
- Depaul is not even ranked in the top 400, and doesn't even register in the QS rankings.
I think there's little doubt we're still tops in the HL in academics, at least according to these rankings. And the numbers speak for themselves...we top Loyola and Depaul in ALL published categories but part time MBA. Our downfall is not graduating students on time or retaining them. Two points to make here: (1) Some of this probably has to do with us still being a commuter school. It's not for everyone and, unfortunately, some don't learn that til they get here. When they leave after 1st or 2nd semester, this hurts retention; and (2) as has been discussed here before, UIC has suffered zero grade inflation since the 60s...the average grade is a C. UIUC? Northwestern? Rampant grade inflation. Our refusal to pass everyone and just give out As and Bs and collect tuition again probably hurts retention and grad rates. Anyone that's gone to UIC knows you have to work for your grades.
Go UIC! Go Flames!
Be proud of your school!