13. The College Rankings Controversy and Why This U.S. News Alternative Thinks It Has a Better Approach

The U.S. News and World Report college rankings have loomed large over American college choice for decades. And in that time they’ve been accused of being unreliable, skewing educational priorities, and perpetuating privilege. But in 2005, Washington Monthly introduced a different type of rankings. Ben sits down with editor in chief Paul Glastris to understand why he thinks the U.S. News rankings exacerbate inequality, how the Monthly’s version is different, and whether we need to rank colleges at all.

Higher Ed Spotlight is a new podcast, sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning, that aims to explore the future of higher education today.