A major new US college ranking is coming

University rankings can be very divisive. Working for Times Higher Education, which publishes its World University Rankings each Autumn, I am accutely aware of this. 

It is with interest, therefore, that I watched the US grapple with the idea of college report cards, giving parents and students easy-to-read advice and information about the performance of the country's higher education institutions. 

US president Barack Obama announced his plans to develop this system of ranking higher education institutions in August 2013, in a bid to identify the “best value” colleges and ensure they got access to the most federal funding.

However, earlier this year they were scrapped. More information is to be made available, but not in the format originally hoped. Those would-be university students and their loved ones would have to look elsewhere for clear, useful information  - just as they had previously.

Soon, however, there will be a new measure in town. Times Higher Education has announced plans for a new, pioneering college ranking for America which will be underpinned by a major national student engagement survey, which is currently underway.

It's no small feat. We are gathering students' views on about 1,000 institutions, capturing their engagement with their learning and the value for money they feel they are getting.

Due in September, this ranking (unlike others in the US) will have student learning at its heart. We're going to  hone in on those all-important student outcomes (including completion and employment), and will also examine the value added by colleges.

A second phase of consultation launches this week in the US, and you can take part via an online poll. Please do.

Phil Baty, editor of the THE World University Rankings, says the operation is all about enhancing the information available to students wishing to study in the US, and helping US colleges to achieve due credit for the contributions they make to students’ learning - and to their lives after graduation.

“There is a clear need for a different type of US ranking system," he says. "Too often US universities are judged by how selective they are in admissions, or on their institutional wealth.

"Our intention is to level the playing field and get a clear view of performance in a much wider range of institutions from across the rich and diverse US higher education landscape.”

It's hard to argue with the objectives. But there is plenty of distance left to run, and if you are an interested party in US higher education, then please get involved. 

You can take our quick online poll or help shape the methodology at our free webinar on 30 June. 

We think it's time for a fresh approach to US university league tables, and we hope you will join us in shaping this exciting new ranking.