TU’s lower than expected USNWR ranking is 100% COMPLETELY TOTALLY SOLELY ENITRELY due to its six year grad rate. Which is still hugely Katrina affected. It is not due to ANY other factor.
TU was ranked #54 overall with its 76% 6 year grad rate. Which is HORRIBLE. Every other school in the top 54 had a 6 year grad rate that began with an 8 or a 9.
6 year grad rate is 25.5% of the formula. It is the single worst thing to be bad at in the eyes of USNWR. Which TU is because of the lingering Katrina affects. Which (due to the lag time of the data) are currently peaking in the USNWR formula.
18% of the formula is straight 6 year grad rate. The school’s under/over performance on 6 year grad rate (as FC points out) is another 7.5% of the formula.
TU (based on its student demos) should have an 82% six year grad rate. So it under-performs by 6. Again HORRIBLE. Only TU and GWU had a minus 6 in the top 75 schools.
54 TU is doing fine with its peers (3.4 score) and HS counsellors (4.2 score). Compare #48 Miami (3.2, 4.0), #42 BU (3.5, 4.2), #40 Lehigh (3.3, 4.1).
Once Katrina fades out of the grad rate data set in 3-4 years, my kid’s TU education will be 5-10 slots fancier than it is today.