<p>The anomalies in Georgetown’s ranking are threefold. One. where it’s programs are good, they are world class, ahead of everybody else good. SFS is the preeminent program of its kind in the world and is rated that way by the journals in the field and competes legitimately head to head with the top five universities in the country in this area of strength. Two, Georgetown’s selectivity rank is number 12, a full nine places higher than its overall rank and is achieved without any early decision and common application gimmickry. Thirdly, US News actually “dings” Georgetown for its percentage of adjunct faculty many of whom are former heads of state, cabinet members, senators, etc. </p>
<p>Lastly, and this is my personal opinion, Georgetown’s direct competitors have waged a very successful campaign over the past dozen or so years, in exploitng Georgetown’s weak endowment to a view of its financial position that is far worse than it actually is.
Georgetown is one of about 40 schools that is need blind but from the cc boards you would think that it is poorer than most high schools. Georgetown has built a new business school, a new fine arts center, a new student center and new dormitories in the past 10 years, yet one major business publication rated it a “C” for facilities and one college guide descrbed it as having “facilities less than many state schools.” Students and parents actually trust these sources, which is, of course, problematic for Georgetown. I am not saying Georgetown is as rich as its direct competitors but it is not an impoverished institution.</p>