How important is the ranking of a university? How can I find out about ranking?

Answer: In some countries, there is a great deal of emphasis put on ranking of schools. This is sometimes done by the government. Sometimes a job in the public sector will depend on graduation from a highly-ranked institution.

However, in the United States, all rankings are unofficial. They are produced by book and magazine publishers and sold to the public. Rankings in one publication are often different from those in another. In our opinion, these so-called rankings should not be considered definitive. For example, many of the factors that go into such unofficial estimates do not pertain to international students very strongly at all, and relying on such a ranking could be self-defeating.

We encourage you to look for factors that fit your needs, not just the overall reputation of a particular program. It may well be that a school with a lower unofficial ranking may in fact be the best choice for your particular circumstances. In other words, the U.S. has over 3,000 accredited colleges and universities: don't restrict your search unnecessarily.

If you decide to look at rankings, you can obtain them from almost any bookstore that carries U.S. publications. Again, however, we caution you not to rely on them as highly important factors in your search. There are much better sources of direct information.

By Study in the USA

Study in the USA is the education guide for international students.  Here you can Request Information from English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, universities, colleges, and boarding schools in the USA and Canada. Search the list of programs by language or category, including:

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Featured Programs provide you with university and post-secondary level program descriptions, as well as Request Information forms for contacting admissions offices. Younger students (ages 10-17) may consult the Boarding Schools listings for secondary-level, pre-university, and summer programs. TOEFL information is available in the Articles Area.