Annual rankings of institutions of higher education have now become large and lucrative magazine-selling enterprises, as witnessed in USA Today and Maclean’s Magazine in Canada. Students, parents, and especially college/university administrators pay careful attention to these data, basing either school choices or institutional programming and design on these numbers. The present study examined the most recent data (2023-2025) of almost 50 institutions of higher learning in Canada, based on the following indices: student-faculty ratio, faculty and student awards, SSHRC and medical/science grants, total research, operating budget, library expenses and acquisitions, and both student scholarships and services. We divided our analysis by both year and category of school: medical/doctorate, comprehensive (with some professional and graduate work), and undergraduate (with limited graduate programs). Replicating prior studies, our analyses cast considerable doubt on the validity of these rankings. For example, after dividing schools as upper- vs lower-ranked (within their derivative category), a Mann-Whitney nonparametric test was significant for just 2 of the 11 indices (viz. student awards and faculty awards). Further, a nonparametric Spearman correlation between the overall rank and each of the 11 indices was significant for between 1 and 5 indices (< 50%). Finally, a cluster analysis grouped like-indexed schools into clusters with no meaningful pattern or interpretable framework. This raises further doubt on the validity of these rankings for public and administrative consumption. Wider social implications are discussed as are directions for future research.

Authors:
Kenneth Cramer, University of Windsor, Canada
Rachel Picard, University of Windsor, Canada
Amber Riberdy, University of Windsor, Canada

About the Presenter(s)
Amber Riberdy is an Independent Scholar based in Windsor Ontario, Canada. Along with her current research project on the moderating effects of gender on sleep and adolescent wellbeing, she is pursuing a post-graduate degree in Psychology.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ambermikha/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

Bookmark