Fordham drops eight places in the popular annual college rankings list.
By Yasmin Merchant
Fordham University’s ranking took a dive in U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 edition of Best Colleges. The list, released Wednesday morning, shows Fordham falling to 66th best in the national universities category with an overall score of 54 out of 100. The ranking is shared with Brigham Young University and University of Pittsburgh. This is a relatively large decline from the 58 ranking the university held last year. This is the second consecutive year the university’s ratings have dropped; in the 2014 edition it was ranked number 57 and in the 2013 edition it was at number 52. Princeton University once again took the top ranking, followed by Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Stanford and University of Chicago.
The statistics state that Fordham’s tuition is $45,623, total enrollment is 15, 231, the 2014 fall acceptance rate as 48.1%, a freshmen retention rate of 89%, and six year graduation rate at 80%. Fordham faces a lower ranking than its Catholic rivals: Notre Dame is ranked 18, Georgetown University ranked 21 and Boston College ranked 30.
The university has had a sporadic ride through the rankings in recent years. Fordham jumped 31 places from a ranking of 84 in 2002 to 53 in 2011, when it was tied with Boston University. Since then, the ranking has stagnated and then entered into a decline. This year, Boston University has risen to 41 while Fordham has fallen to 66.
The U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges list is arguably the most referenced and popular of all college rankings. According to its website, “77.5 % of a school’s ranking in the National Universities, National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities and Regional Colleges categories is based on a formula that uses objective measures of academic quality, such as graduation rates, faculty information and admissions data. The remaining 22.5% is based on academic reputation, determined by a peer assessment from top academics at colleges; in the National Universities and National Liberal Arts Colleges categories.”
Actually, to Sal and all others who chose Fordham over a higher ranked college, you made the right choice. You can get an exceptional education at Fordham. It’s all about what you put into it. A Fordham education will take you are far as you want to go. When McShane announced years ago that he wanted to bring Fordham into the top 25 ranked universities by 2016, I wondered if we should really give US NEWS so much power. After all, why are we planning the direction of the university around a magazine’s ranking? Let’s just concentrate on being the great university that we are.
You’re objectively wrong. McShane should be fired as he obviously did not deliver. US NEWS rankings are as objective as possible, and the fact that Pepperdine is ranked higher than Fordham is absolutely atrocious, I will not be attending Fordham next year. In hindsight Fordham should’ve been a safety rather than a target school, and I advise any and all students to make this school a default safety.
See that Sal Cocchiaro? We told you to go to Princeton when you had the chance. Is it too late to transfer? Hey, just kidding. Stay. We have a better football team.