What weightage does US News give to the average 6-year graduation rate when ranking Harvard University?
US News assigns a 16 percent weightage to the average 6-year graduation rate when it calculates Harvard University's ranking. This is the single largest factor in the criteria, ahead of over performance at 10 percent and faculty salaries at 6 percent.
US News assigns a 16 percent weightage to the average 6-year graduation rate when it calculates Harvard University's ranking. This makes it the single most heavily weighted factor in the entire US News ranking criteria for Harvard.
US News Ranking Criteria Weightage for Harvard University
| Ranking Criteria | Weightage |
|---|---|
| Average 6-Year Graduation Rate | 16% |
| Over Performance / Underperformance | 10% |
| Faculty Salaries Rank | 6% |
| 6-Year Graduation Rate (Pell Grant Recipients) | 5.5% |
| 6-Year Graduation Rate (Non Pell Grant Recipients) | 5.5% |
| Average First-Year Retention Rate | 5% |
| Median Federal Loan Debt for Grad Borrowers | 5% |
| College Grads Earning More Than an HS Grad | 5% |
| Student-Faculty Ratio | 3% |
| Percent of Faculty Who Are Full-Time | 2% |
How Harvard Performs Against These Criteria
Harvard has held the number one spot in the US News Global Universities ranking for three years running, and it ranks number three in the National University category, reflecting strong outcomes across these weighted factors.
My Advice
When you compare universities using US News data, pay close attention to graduation rate and retention figures, since together they carry a large share of the overall weightage. A university that performs well here is more likely to see you through to on-time graduation.
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