Did Harvard and Yale pull out of U.S. News rankings?

Asked by: Frida Koch  |  Last update: July 29, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (35 votes)

Despite the criticism persisting for decades, deans cooperated with U.S. News year after year, proving the rankings to be irresistible to even its most outspoken detractors — until Yale and Harvard suddenly decided late last year they had seen enough. Yale Law School Dean Heather K. Gerken announced in a Nov.

Why did Harvard drop in rankings?

Daley said the decision to withdraw from the U.S. News rankings was based on fairness and equity concerns, citing incentives to cut back on aid to students with the most financial need.

Why are schools leaving U.S. News rankings?

Many schools said that the rankings do not accurately reflect their values. The first schools to leave the U.S. News rankings were Harvard Law and Yale Law. Critiques of the methodology include overemphasis on GPA and test scores and a lack of focus on need-based aid and loan forgiveness programs.

What law schools dropped out of the U.S. News rankings?

UCLA, UC Irvine Law Schools Drop 'U.S. News' Rankings. The law school of the University of California, Los Angeles, announced Tuesday that it is dropping out of the U.S. News & World Report rankings. And on Wednesday, the law school of the University of California, Irvine, joined the movement.

What is Yale ranked in the U.S. News?

Yale University is ranked #5 out of 436 National Universities.

Why Are Yale and Harvard Law Withdrawing from the U.S. News Rankings?

19 related questions found

What is Harvard ranked globally by US News?

Rankings. Harvard University is ranked #1 in Best Global Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. Read more about how we rank schools.

Is Yale less prestigious than Harvard?

QS World University Rankings

Yale is less influential for research citations – not quite as influential as Harvard, but still very much part of a leading group of universities. The last two indicators used in compiling the QS World University Rankings assess the international diversity of students and staff.

What is the hardest law school in USA?

1. Yale University. With an acceptance rate of just 6.9%, it's no wonder that Yale is the hardest law school to get into. Only around 1 in 15 of their highly qualified applicants makes it through.

Why did the University of Chicago drop in rankings?

The downgrade comes amid a significant revamp of U.S. News's formula that saw metrics including class size removed. U.S. News claims that selected metrics were removed from consideration as they were not universally reported by schools or the U.S. Department of Education.

What law schools boycott the U.S. News?

Seven months ago, dozens of elite law schools and medical schools announced that they were boycotting the U.S. News & World Report rankings and refusing to give the publication any data. The rankings, they said, were unreliable and skewed educational priorities.

Why is Oberlin ranked so low?

Retention and faculty resources—which, when combined, today constitute 45 percent of the total score—explain most of why Oberlin fell in the rankings after 1989. While Oberlin's overall rank has averaged 21 since 1989, it averages 34 in faculty resources and 42 (but improving) in retention.

What is the problem with the US news college rankings?

Critics say the rankings, which began in 1983 and have long been considered the gold standard, are biased toward selective private universities, are too easily manipulated by the schools themselves and fail to capture the breadth of a school's offerings.

What is Yale Law School ranked?

Yale University is ranked No. 1 (tie) out of 196 in Best Law Schools. Schools were assessed on their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.

Is Harvard Law still prestigious?

HLS was ranked first in the world by QS World University Rankings in 2023. It is ranked first in the world by the 2019 Academic Ranking of World Universities.

Why is UChicago not an ivy?

Schools like Stanford, MIT, and the University of Chicago often outrank Ivies in terms of academics. However, since they aren't in the same athletic conference, they technically aren't Ivy League schools.

What rank is Yale University?

Yale University is a private institution that was founded in 1701. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,818 (fall 2023), and the campus size is 1,108 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Yale University's ranking in the 2025 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #5.

Why did US news rankings change?

The most impactful methodology change for National Universities was the removal of six-year bachelor's graduation rates of first-generation students as a ranking factor (that is, the rate at which a cohort of students graduate in the six-year period after enrollment), replaced by up-weighting the two indicators on Pell ...

Is it harder to get into Yale law or Harvard law?

What Is the Hardest Law School to Get Into? The hardest law school to get into is Yale Law School, with an acceptance rate of 5.5%.

What is the hardest med school to get into?

With an astonishingly low acceptance rate of about 1.4%, Stanford is the country's hardest medical school to get into. They admit students who not only boast impressive academic records but also showcase a deep passion for leadership, community involvement, and pushing the boundaries of medical knowledge.

What is the most prestigious law school?

There has been great consistency at the top of the U.S. News rankings since their inception, with Yale Law School consistently ranking first. While Yale, Harvard, and Stanford have historically clustered at the top of the list, Harvard was recently replaced by the University of Chicago in the third place spot.

Are people happier at Yale or Harvard?

Yale students mention happiness more than their Harvard peers, but they all agree that these Ivy League universities shaped their lives, and gave them the best possible start in their careers – as well as an amazing network of friends and colleagues to take with them into the future.

Is MIT better than Harvard?

Harvard leads in employer reputation, academic reputation, and its international research network, making it an excellent choice for students aiming for top-tier academic and research environments. On the other hand, MIT is ranked No. 2, with an overall score of 94.4.