The world of college admissions is ever-changing and for students with top university ambitions, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest developments. This week, more universities continue to pull out of the US News ranking with Rhode Island School of Design joining the boycott. Check back next week to see what’s new and noteworthy in university admissions!

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Rhode Island School of Design Pulls Out of US News Ranking

It seems that the US News rankings cannot catch a break. Until now some of the top law schools and medical schools have announced their intention to not submit data for the rankings publication. It seemed that undergraduate rankings would continue as planned. However, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) has now become the first university to pull out of the undergraduate rankings. 

RISD said U.S. News’ methodology does not capture how its students learn. The college also referenced a recent alumni survey that showed a majority of them “were proud of and happy with their RISD education.” “We believe that these outcomes speak to the impact and effectiveness of a RISD education,” Williams said. RISD, based in Providence, enrolls about 2,570 students, according to the most recently available federal data. Most of those are undergraduates. 

Until last year, U.S. News & World Report categorized RISD and other art and design schools as “Speciality Schools: Art.” Under this heading, RISD’s undergraduate programs (reflecting 80 percent of matriculants) were unranked. However and as a result of small curriculum changes to some of RISD’s programs, last year it was categorized as a “regional school.” Despite the change, RISD ranked high in its group. However, the university said it had very little in common with the other universities in its group, Higher Ed Dive has reported. 

The US News rankings have taken a beating recently, with top institutions quitting and also a series of allegations that the publication uses false data for its listings. They have promised to reform law school rankings to counter some of the criticism. It remains to be seen whether other undergraduate programs will join RISD.

RISD is not the first undergraduate institution to step away from the rankings. Reed College, in Oregon, exited the rankings in 1995 and it is still known for the decision today!

Other top stories in admissions news this week:

1. Georgetown University has been named the top Fulbright student-producing institution in the US, with 49 of its recent alumni or grad students selected for the 2022/23 program year. Pennsylvania State University and the University of Arizona followed close behind as top scholar-producing schools, each with 17 researchers participating in the program. Sponsored by the US government, the Fulbright Program is the nation’s leading international educational exchange initiative. The Fulbright Program – sponsored by the US government – is the country’s flagship international educational exchange program. 
2. Studies have consistently shown that internships can greatly enhance a student’s employability, with 91% of companies giving preference to job applicants who have work experience under their belt. According to an article by Study International, students don’t have to venture far from their university to find valuable internship opportunities. The article highlights the top 5 universities that offer highly competitive and paid internships to their students, which include the University of Oxford, Loughborough University, University of Edinburgh, University of Cambridge, and the University of Salford.
3. University of Virginia admitted 6,000 students in the second round of early action admissions to the Class of 2027. A record 56,512 people have applied to UVA so far this year, a 10% increase over last year. More than 36,000 students applied for early action, which is non-binding for applicants, who meet an earlier application deadline in exchange for earlier notification. Of those who applied, roughly 6,000 were accepted; nearly 9,500 applications came from Virginia and 27% were admitted; and about 27,000 out-of-state students applied and 12% were admitted.
4. Under a method being tried across several states, small numbers of students who have completed their high school requirements are being guided into beginning their college careers without collecting their graduation diploma, Times Higher Education reported. That lets them remain officially part of their high school communities – keeping them directly connected to guidance counsellors – while they start attending two-year or four-year universities.
5. Australian officials have cleared a Covid logjam of student visa applications, with a record processing effort bringing the backlog “back to normal”, according to the Times Higher Education. Immigration boss Michael Willard told an International Education Association of Australia symposium that his department had finalised a record 217,000 overseas applications for student visas in the latter half of 2022, after the government boosted its visa-processing workforce by almost 500.