Notre Dame was recently ranked 20th on the U.S. News and World Report’s 2024 Best National University Rankings, down two spots from its spot at 18th last year.
The ranking irked some students, while some said the ranking never factored into their decision to attend the University. Others were pleased to attend a top-20 school.
“For me, it did matter that Notre Dame was a top 20 because, coming from the Philippines, Notre Dame is not known at all,” freshman Jada Bautista said. “So, when I decided to apply, I think it was like the only school that my friends, my family and even my teachers didn’t know about.”
Princeton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard filled the top three spots accordingly. All three are private universities located on the East Coast with an average tuition totaling just under $60,000.
“I found Notre Dame on an online college fair, and I found it to be super cool, and I thought it was a great fit,” Bautista said. “And the fact that when I searched it up, it was a top 20, I think it really contributed to [my decision].”
Of the top-20 universities, only two are public institutions — University of California, Berkeley and UCLA which tied for the 15th spot. The U.S. News and World Report noted that Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, law school and architecture are well regarded.
“No, I don’t think they really did [affect my decision] actually,” freshman Caroline Costigan said. “I think I just knew I liked the school, and I liked what it stood for. And the architecture program’s the best, and the people are very good. I think rankings are subjective.”
Like Costigan, freshman Kimberly Hernandez’s decision to attend Notre Dame was not affected by its ranking, she said.
“I chose Notre Dame for the academics, and I feel like Notre Dame is really well-rounded in the sense that it balances both academics and sports,” Hernandez said. “I think what makes Notre Dame better is that it balances both and doesn’t prioritize one thing or the other.”
The New York Times reported that several private universities fell in their ranking this year while many public universities climbed to higher spots on the list. Some of these changes can be attributed to adjustments made in the U.S. News and World Report formula such as no longer considering average class size, graduation rate, financial resources per student and high school class standing.
“I didn’t care much about the 1, 2, 3, 4, but I think prestige definitely played a part,” freshman John McGlynn said. “I think that’s something employers look at when they’re hiring people, and I thought Notre Dame was a pretty prestigious university, so I think that played a part of it.”
According to the New York Times, this year, the U.S. News and World Report rankings placed more of a consideration on the graduation rates of disadvantaged and first-generation students. The ranking also considered whether college graduates were earning more money than those who had just a high school diploma.
“I’ve always known it as a prestigious school, but it wasn’t a numbers game where I’m applying to all the top schools and going to the top one,” freshman Ben Sarrazine said. “It was more for me getting a Catholic education, and I live less than two hours from here. So, I’ve wanted to come here all my life.”
CEOWorld Business Magazine ranked Notre Dame as the second-best Catholic university in the world. Georgetown University took the first-place spot. However, Georgetown University ranks 22nd on the U.S. News and World Report, below Notre Dame.
“[The ranking] is important to me especially because it kind of decides how much value our degrees hold, like post-grad,” junior Matthew Dipaolo said. “We’re still in the top 20, which I’m glad about … I think we’re fairly placed. I think we should be a bit higher … They need to take into account the academic rigor in my opinion.”
Sophomore Sarah McArthur believes that graduating from a top-20 university will help her later in life, she said. While she said she does not believe the specific ranking affected her decision to come here, she explained that the range of the ranking did influence her decision.
“I think perception is very important,” McArthur said. “I think the number helps with that, but I wasn’t like, during my research and stuff, … ‘oh I want a school like within these numbers.’”
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