Twenty Years of University Report Cards

Over 20 years ago, the first university rankings entered public attention in the United States. Since then, there have been numerous other efforts to rank or rate universities or university departments. University report cards have become both popular with the public and increasingly important for academic institutions. A detailed examination of 10 report cards from around the world, which evaluate and focus on either undergraduate choice or overall standing, finds that the various schemes share broad principles and approaches but differ considerably in details. Many of these variations are attributable to differences in aims, higher education systems and cultures, and the availability and reliability of data. 1. The author would like to thank Ross Williams for his invaluable thoughts on the initial conceptualization of this article and helpful comments on earlier drafts. The author would also like to thank Dean Goodman for several good suggestions and for his help and understanding in providing the time ...

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