Are rankings an important factor when shortlisting universities in the USA?

Rankings are one criteria that you can use to evaluate universities in the U.S., they do give you a chance to look at the university's strengths and areas of recognition. However, keep in mind that ultimately you want to find a university that is a good fit for you. So in addition to looking at rankings, be sure to explore the academic programs, the cost, the scholarships, the location and other characteristics of the universities you're interested in.

Hi, everyone, it's Lisa from Shoreline. Rankings! What a tricky question. In the U.S., there's many different institution types and often the rankings only compare institutions that are similar. So, for example, if you want to look at state schools that have doctoral programs and focus on research, it's easy to compare them. But if you want to look at specialty schools, liberal arts schools, community colleges, like where I work, it's a little difficult to compare them all directly.