If you dig deep into the criteria that the different ratings groups use, you’ll see how varied those “ratings” can be. CWUR’s criteria for major specific ranking is based solely on the number of articles that have been published in what they consider to be top journals. (FWIW - VT appeared in Aerospace Eng. top 10 and Penn State was not listed in any Eng top 10). Not sure if it’s still part of their deal, but USNWR used to include amount of money donated back to the school by alums. So schools with wealthy students/alums and/or larger student populations can skew higher in some cases. Some ratings also use offer rate, and there’s plenty of universities that pad/overpromote applying so that their offered rate remains at a low level that catches USNWR’s eye - especially the private schools.