Columbia University, widely regarded globally as one of the best universities in the world, is facing criticism for submitting inflated data to US News college rankings. The rankings released by US News have also faced questions about their trustworthiness.
Columbia University was ranked number two in the rankings but after it was understood that the university presented inflated data, it slipped to 18th place.
The university has admitted to sending incorrect data. CNN reported that a spokesperson for the university confirmed that the previous figures were overstated. Specifically, the figures related to how many small classes the university offered and number of faculty members holding terminal degrees.
“We deeply regret the deficiencies in our prior reporting and are committed to doing better,” said the spokesperson in a statement, as reported by CNN.
In February this year, Columbia University faced criticism from within its own ranks. Mathematics professor Michael Thaddeus accused the university of submitting inaccurate data. The professor underlined data that described class sizes, number of full-time faculty and other data.
“The broader lesson everyone should keep in mind is that US News has shown its operations are so shoddy that both of [the rankings] are meaningless,” Thaddeus said to the Times.
“If any institution can decline from No 2 to No 18 in a single year, it just discredits the whole ranking operation.” he added.
This is not the first time a university has faced accusations of manipulation of college rankings. In March this year, a former dean of Temple University even received a 14-month prison sentence for fraud. The dean had reportedly submitted false data to boost the school’s master’s program ranking.
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