billcsho, that was my point; admit rates generally impress high school students and parents seeking bragging rights. To high school students, NU is more prestigious than Michigan. I would never question that. Of course, as Michigan’s admit rate continues to plummet, that could change in the coming 5-10 years. I estimate that Michigan’s admit rate could drop to as low as 15% by 2020.
However, college professors/presidents, graduate school admissions committees, corporate recruiters etc…do not reference admit rates to determine prestige. They rely more on the quality of the institution (research, faculty, programs, facilities, resources, alumni accomplishments etc…) to establish a university’s prestige. That is why most reputational ratings conducted by academe rate Michigan and NU roughly the same.
So, among high school kids and boastful parents, NU is more prestigious than Michigan. But among highly educated people (particularly people with advanced degrees, members of academe ec…), and among corporate recruiters, Michigan and NU are equally prestigious.