Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Feels like this year's ranking is very similar to last year's. Someone should compute the average change in rank (rise and drop both treated as positive) for last year's t50 schools. My guess is the average is less than 3. Repeat this for last year's t100 and my guess is the average is less than 5.

Where TF have you been??? It is always the same. Very little change. I’ve been watching these ratings since the 90s. The only change was when some schools—NE, UChic., etc started driving up applicants and plating the mailing and ED game, test optional to appear more selective.

I mean what, you think Harvard and Princeton will drop out of the T10?

ED game was invented by UPenn and Ivies back in the days.
Applicants apply and commit for reasons.

Yet it’s Hopkins, Tufts, NE, Vandy etc that have two rounds of ED. ED1 & ED2–those are the true gamers - test optional (though Hopkins finally reverted)

Though Hopkins, Tufts and Vandy are each pretty much where they've always been in rankings. (Perhaps Vandy has climbed a bit?) How are they "gaming" a system but maintaining the reputation they've always had?

Northeastern is the only one you list that has markedly increased its ranking. Both Tufts and Hopkins seem to appeal to a specific "quirky" student, so I can see how the concept of ED fits.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kenyon and Dickinson get pumped by private high school parents but both are ranked 45th in 2026. No momentum for them. Colgate and Haverford have declined in recent past. Holy Cross inching up each year now 27th. And Bucknell will it’s magical Pipeline to The Street is now 30.

Yea Denison too.

There was a post a while ago when some idiot was arguing that Kenyon and Denison were as good as Grinnell which is just nuts. Kenyon is the definition of a back up school for kids rejected from the northeast liberal arts colleges.

Denison is actually ranked #34 in the 2026 U.S. News rankings, up two spots from 2025 and continuing a steady climb from the mid-50s just a decade ago. It's one of the strongest upward trends among national liberal arts colleges.

Some students may view Denison, Dickinson, or Kenyon as "back-ups" to the Northeast SLACs, but for many, the real difference/decision comes down to cost. Schools like Denison, Kenyon, and Dickinson offer substantial merit aid, while the northeast schools primarily offer need-based aid. It may not mean a lot to wealthy families but for the donut-hole families it does.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kenyon and Dickinson get pumped by private high school parents but both are ranked 45th in 2026. No momentum for them. Colgate and Haverford have declined in recent past. Holy Cross inching up each year now 27th. And Bucknell will it’s magical Pipeline to The Street is now 30.

Yea Denison too.

There was a post a while ago when some idiot was arguing that Kenyon and Denison were as good as Grinnell which is just nuts. Kenyon is the definition of a back up school for kids rejected from the northeast liberal arts colleges.

I get Dickinson, Davidson and Denison confused. I have 2 friends who each have a kid at one of them and I still can’t keep them straight. lol

Omg. Me too. lol

It’s the “D” and the “son”

Anonymous wrote:Kenyon and Dickinson get pumped by private high school parents but both are ranked 45th in 2026. No momentum for them. Colgate and Haverford have declined in recent past. Holy Cross inching up each year now 27th. And Bucknell will it’s magical Pipeline to The Street is now 30.

A lot of great schools have been burned by diversity related variables.

“Bashed” Pomona cause I knew it wasn’t a good college and continues to fall. Got so much hate just to be correct again.

Anonymous wrote:Northeastern is the one I don't understand.
Large number of first years spend semester or full year abroad with sub par professors who have been put out to pasture. Some Co-ops are great but lots are menial jobs. Not sure how kids who get that much less coursework than students from other colleges can compete in grad schools??

Many many others understand.
It's at the top for most of the major areas such as graduation rate, outcome, retention rate, etc. Location helps too. Students don't get less course work.

Anonymous wrote:Northeastern is the one I don't understand.
Large number of first years spend semester or full year abroad with sub par professors who have been put out to pasture. Some Co-ops are great but lots are menial jobs. Not sure how kids who get that much less coursework than students from other colleges can compete in grad schools??

+1 Why does Northeastern feel like a scam?

Northeastern is the one I don't understand.
Large number of first years spend semester or full year abroad with sub par professors who have been put out to pasture. Some Co-ops are great but lots are menial jobs. Not sure how kids who get that much less coursework than students from other colleges can compete in grad schools??

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Feels like this year's ranking is very similar to last year's. Someone should compute the average change in rank (rise and drop both treated as positive) for last year's t50 schools. My guess is the average is less than 3. Repeat this for last year's t100 and my guess is the average is less than 5.

Where TF have you been??? It is always the same. Very little change. I’ve been watching these ratings since the 90s. The only change was when some schools—NE, UChic., etc started driving up applicants and plating the mailing and ED game, test optional to appear more selective.

I mean what, you think Harvard and Princeton will drop out of the T10?

ED game was invented by UPenn and Ivies back in the days.
Applicants apply and commit for reasons.

Yet it’s Hopkins, Tufts, NE, Vandy etc that have two rounds of ED. ED1 & ED2–those are the true gamers - test optional (though Hopkins finally reverted)

don't forget Chicago with ED0 and essentially ED3 with the early verbal offers to RD WL that are not official unless they commit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chapman bumped up 11 spots. They keep getting better and better. My DC loves it there.

Very popular choice for very good but not tippy top kids from our school. Everyone who goes there loves it.

Except for the triple dorm rooms- no bueno

Anonymous wrote:Kenyon and Dickinson get pumped by private high school parents but both are ranked 45th in 2026. No momentum for them. Colgate and Haverford have declined in recent past. Holy Cross inching up each year now 27th. And Bucknell will it’s magical Pipeline to The Street is now 30.

Oh, no! Don’t wake up the Pipeline-to-the-Street Bucknell booster! 😂

Anonymous wrote:Gave up on even looking at USNWR when a few years ago they removed consideration for class size. Basically bumping up all large state Universities and moving the smaller private schools way down.

I'll take my kids sitting in classes with only 40-50 kids anyday over 200-300+ classes.

This trope again? Whenever I see this, it's clear the poster has no experience with large state universities. The vast majority of classes are NOT hundreds of students. I have two kids at two different large state universities and only one has had a large lecture style class - and that one was 50 students. All of their other classes have run about 30 on average - some smaller than that. Oh - and none have ever had a TA teach the class, before you make the usual claim about that as well.

Anonymous wrote:Kenyon and Dickinson get pumped by private high school parents but both are ranked 45th in 2026. No momentum for them. Colgate and Haverford have declined in recent past. Holy Cross inching up each year now 27th. And Bucknell will it’s magical Pipeline to The Street is now 30.

Go Bisons!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Feels like this year's ranking is very similar to last year's. Someone should compute the average change in rank (rise and drop both treated as positive) for last year's t50 schools. My guess is the average is less than 3. Repeat this for last year's t100 and my guess is the average is less than 5.

Where TF have you been??? It is always the same. Very little change. I’ve been watching these ratings since the 90s. The only change was when some schools—NE, UChic., etc started driving up applicants and plating the mailing and ED game, test optional to appear more selective.

I mean what, you think Harvard and Princeton will drop out of the T10?

ED game was invented by UPenn and Ivies back in the days.
Applicants apply and commit for reasons.

Yet it’s Hopkins, Tufts, NE, Vandy etc that have two rounds of ED. ED1 & ED2–those are the true gamers - test optional (though Hopkins finally reverted)

hopkins takes none through waitlists compared to several ivies and has no legacy admissions like MIT. It might be more transparent than some of the ivies like columbia and waitlist that waitlist accept a bunch

should be almost none through waitlists

Anonymous wrote:Kenyon and Dickinson get pumped by private high school parents but both are ranked 45th in 2026. No momentum for them. Colgate and Haverford have declined in recent past. Holy Cross inching up each year now 27th. And Bucknell will it’s magical Pipeline to The Street is now 30.

I'm very excited for my kid to go to Kenyon next year. Could not possibly care less about some dumb ranking.