Founder and Principal Consultant Dynalytic Solutions Hollywood, Florida, United States
Session Abstract: U.S. News & World Report’s National Universities rankings use standard competition ranking, which creates gaps in the ranking sequence when institutions tie. This methodological choice dramatically inflates apparent year-to-year volatility, potentially leading institutions to respond to changes that largely reflect mathematical artifact rather than meaningful performance differences. This study compares standard competition ranking to dense ranking (which eliminates gaps after ties). Results show that standard competition ranking produces 11 times more apparent volatility than dense ranking. While this analysis does not address well-documented critiques regarding the validity of underlying ranking metrics, it reveals how ranking methodology itself creates substantial volatility independent of institutional performance changes. These findings have significant implications for IR professionals who must interpret ranking changes and advise leadership on strategic responses.
Keywords: university rankings, ranking methodology, U.S. News rankings, performance measurement
