Page 102 - EW April 2025

Cover Story America's Best Universities Rankings 2025

of College Scorecard, IPEDS, the HOW TO BEST USE THE EW-LAUNCHPAD RANKINGS
Common Data Set, as well as material
drawn from university course catalogs “ If students are to achieve the best possible outcomes from their
and degree requirements. university experience and parents the highest ROI, it is important to stop
3. Teaching focus narrowing your focus to the 20 or Top 50 or Top 200 universities on
Faculty focus on teaching is critical traditional ranking metrics and instead look at what really matters. One way
for undergrad students. Faculty un- to do this is to look at institutions in different EW-Launchpad groupings
distracted by research responsibili- and find those at the highest level that meet other criteria such as size and
ties fully integrated with campus life location.
provide students consistent mentor- Alternatively, families can use traditional methods and source an
ship, personalised instruction, and initial set of schools from other ranking league tables and then use the
meaningful academic relationships. EW-Launchpad Rankings to refine this set to identify the universities
Universities organised to ensure that that provide students with best undergrad education. Most importantly,
instructional staff are full members of remember that there are no simple answers. Ultimately students who have
the faculty and not adjuncts or gradu- the most successful careers are not those who went to most selective
ate student assistants. universities but those who received the best education and who fully
Assessment metrics. IPEDS data realised their potential due to hardwork and excellent teaching. The EW-
indicating the extent to which full- Launchpad Rankings are designed to help students launch successful
time, dedicated faculty (not adjuncts careers and lead fulfilling lives. ”
or graduate students) teach under- – Raymond Ravaglia, Launchpad Steering Committee
graduate classes.
4. Expected class size
Smaller class sizes correlate with America’s 6,000 tertiary education
higher student engagement, better institutions. Instead of narrowly rank-
academic outcomes, and stronger re- ing them in numerical order, for this
lationships between students and fac- inaugural release, the Steering Com-
ulty. Relationships students form with mittee has preferred to group them
their professors are where the highest into Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Sil-
value of a university education is to be ver, Bronze, and Honorable Mention
found as these relationships are vital categories and rank them in clusters.
for career advancement. “While numerical scores offer pre-
Assessment metrics. Study of typi- cision, the Launchpad Steering Com-
cal class sizes identified using IPEDS mittee opted for cluster rankings be-
data and the Common Data Set. cause it makes comparisons simpler
5. Retention Rate Indian students in the US: largest foreign and allows for other factors such as
High retention rates signal student cohort preferred location, family association,
satisfaction and effective academic etc. Numerical scores suggest overly
and social support systems. Colleges nomic mobility (25 points), teaching precise distinctions between institu-
with high retention rates demonstrate focus (25), experiential education tions and signal levels of precision
commitment to creating inclusive and (20), class size (20), and retention often not justified by quality of data.
supportive campus cultures where (10). Every university’s total score is Cluster rankings also expand the
students feel valued, understood, and determined by summing parameter range of parents/students choice,”
motivated to complete their education points adjusted for cases where the says Ravaglia.
successfully. No matter how good a retention score is below the median For school-leavers choosing a col-
college may seem, if students are not since a below-average retention score lege involves balancing emotional de-
eager to return for a second year, there suggests that a college/university may sire with practical considerations. By
is likely something wrong beneath the have problems beneath the surface. evaluating universities under the pa-
surface. rameters of teaching focus, class size,
Assessment metrics. Study of WHY CLUSTER RANKINGS experiential education opportunities,
IPEDS data to ascertain percentage retention record and post-graduation
of first-year students who return for In the inaugural EW-Launchpad economic mobility, the EW-Launch-
second year. Rankings 2025, 780 sufficiently well- pad America’s Best Universities
All these five parameters of under- reputed colleges/universities (in the Rankings 2025 identify institutions
grad education excellence have been opinion of the Launchpad Steering providing high quality undergraduate
accorded considered weightage — eco- Committee) have been drawn from education in the United States●

102 EDUCATIONWORLD APRIL 2025