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UCLA was once again ranked among the world’s top universities in a set of world university rankings last week, though education experts say the value and focus of college rankings may not be so clear.
Many students said they paid close attention to college rankings when deciding whether to attend UCLA, which frequently fares well in national rankings. Last week, UCLA placed 12th in the Times Higher Education’s 2013-2014 rankings of international universities.
“It’s definitely good to know that UCLA is a prestigious institution, because that influences students’ decisions and job prospects,” said Jennifer Liu, a fourth-year geography and global studies student.
UCLA educators, however, warned that rankings can sometimes be misleading.
Robert Rhoads, education professor, said students tend to put too much stress on a university’s status and can ignore other factors, such as whether a college caters to low-income or international students.
Rankings may also be subjective, especially since the value of a college education is a difficult thing to measure, said Mitchell Chang, education professor.
“There will never be universal agreement about rankings and the value of colleges – what is legitimate to one group may not be to others,” Chang said.
In addition, rankings sometimes do not adequately account for the nature of students entering the institutions, both professors said.
“Rankings create an irrational exuberance about those elite institutions that consistently emerge on top, causing people to overestimate the benefit of reputation and underestimate the problems that might come up from going to the college,” Chang said.
In August, the role of university rankings took on a new level of significance when the Obama administration proposed a plan to tie federal student aid to a college’s affordability and student success, considering factors like graduation rates, student loan debt levels and graduates’ income.
The proposal – together with an increasing emphasis on college outcomes – represent society’s pressure to hold institutions accountable for the revenue they receive from state and federal funding, as well as from tuition, Rhoads said.
According to Affordable Colleges Online, in Obama’s proposed rankings, UCLA would rank 10th place, behind the University of Virginia in first place and UC Berkley in fifth place.
Last month, Payscale released the first ranking of universities based on graduates’ income, according to their press release.
Of the University of California campuses, UC Berkeley ranks the highest, tied at 20th place, with a median starting salary of $54,700 and median mid-career salary of $111,000. UCLA tied with Wake Forest University at 77th place, with a $49,600 median starting salary and a $95,300 median mid-career salary.
Such a ranking, however, fails to take into account social mobility and the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants, which are rewarded to low-income students, Rhoads said.
Other rankings, such as those done by Washington Monthly, take such factors into account. In the Washington Monthly rankings, four UC campuses were in the top 10, with UCLA ranked 10th.
“The UCs tends to fare very well when such measures are taken into consideration, because we accept a large number of low-income students,” Rhoads added.
Employment prospects are also a factor that students consider in their college application decisions .
“Universities with good rankings are better because they offer more resources (and) job prospects,” said Rachel Allen, a first-year biology student. Allen said UCLA’s high rankings are something to be proud of and she hopes they will help her find a job after graduation.
Some employers are more willing to hire students from a university with a good reputation, Liu said.
Employment, however, is not the sole objective of higher education, Rhoads said.
“Emphasis on employment has to be balanced against a commitment to liberal learning to develop informed students and citizens,” Rhoads said.
Rankings are an especially important source of information for international students who have less access to school visits and information sessions, said Jason Ho, a third-year international student from China. He said he studied rankings sites closely before choosing UCLA.
Chang recommends taking rankings with a pinch of salt.
“Ultimately, it is important that students understand what they want to get out of college to find the best fit for their needs and circumstances,” Chang said.
Correction: Emily Liu, Bruin contributor, wrote this article.