College rankings is a term generally used to encompass efforts to rank order individual academic programs, professional schools, and entire institutions of higher education on the basis of academic quality or productivity. Rankings of undergraduate education generally cover entire institutions, while graduate and professional education rankings focus on schools or individual programs. Organizations that conduct rankings include news periodicals, such as U.S. News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek; academic organizations, such as the National Research Council and the Center for World-Class Universities at Shanghai Jiaotong University; and individual academic researchers. Accrediting bodies and government agencies historically do not rank institutions or programs. This entry provides an overview of the methodologies employed by ranking organizations, the audiences they seek to reach, a brief history that ...