Colleges take drastic measures to improve rankings
It has become apparent that colleges care more about rankings in popular publications than students or families.
Although students and families still buy many of the famous lists, many colleges are obsessed with their reputation.
Some colleges are motivated by the rankings to spend billions on financial aid for top students who do not need the money. College presidents are also often awarded bonuses for increasing their school’s ranking in popular lists.
The Associated Press reports that Baylor University tried to increase its average SAT scores by paying accepted students to retake the exam.
The latest scandal occurred last week at Claremont McKenna College. According to the Los Angeles Times, finance magazine Kiplinger removed the popular California liberal arts college from its list of best values in liberal arts college.
“Kiplinger’s has learned that Claremont McKenna College unfairly earned its place as 18th-ranked private liberal arts college in our college rankings by reporting inflated SAT scores,” the magazine said in an online statement.
Claremont McKenna president Pamela B. Gann notified the school earlier this week that an admissions official had resigned from the college after it was revealed that collective freshman SAT scores for the past six years had been increased to manipulate statistics and elevate the college’s spot on lists.
Magazines and federal agencies would receive corrected scores from the college, according to Claremont McKenna spokesman Max Benavidez.
