In the most recent best national university rankings by the U.S. News and World Report, Hopkins was ranked sixth — the highest ranking the University has received to date. This sixth place was shared in a four-way-tie with the California Institute of Technology, Duke University and Northwestern University.
In an email to The News-Letter, sophomore Athina Ramphal described the significance of the ranking to herself and other students.
“It’s amazing to see how efficient and proactive students become when placed in an environment that truly focuses on and supports them,“ she wrote. “I think the ranking gave many of us a real sense of purpose, knowing that we all played a part in shaping Hopkins into what it is today.”
According to their website, U.S. News and World Report determined these rankings by evaluating schools on several main factors. Student outcomes made up 52 percent of the score, factoring the six-year graduation rate, loan debt and starting salaries. Expert opinion made up 20 percent of the score and was evaluated by peer assessment. Faculty resources contributed to 11 percent of the score, considering factors such as student to faculty ratio and faculty member salaries. Financial resources, student excellence and faculty research made the remaining eight, five and four percent respectively. Besides these metrics, diversity of offered majors, programs and the student population was also evaluated.
Last year, Hopkins was ninth in the rankings. This year’s list puts Hopkins at a higher rank than five out of eight Ivy League schools. A university spokesperson detailed how the factors highlighted by the University’s new rank is a result of the steps Hopkins has taken to improve the undergraduate experience through the Ten by Twenty and now the Ten for One strategic framework.
The Ten for One framework refers to a set of ten goals — determined by conversation with over 1,200 Hopkins community members — that the University plans to achieve by the end of the decade.
A university spokesperson explained how these curriculum reforms include requiring First-Year Seminars for freshmen and increased flexibility regarding major requirements. In addition, the recruitment of Bloomberg Distinguished Professors to grow the faculty and the increase in advising for First-Generation and Low Income (FLI) students has grown steadily since 2019.
Life Design and Career services, growth in arts education and new facilities like the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington D.C. are also facets of the University pointed to as contributors to this boost in ranking.
In an email to The News-Letter, a university spokesperson wrote about how though these changes were made to improve student experience, not necessarily to receive a higher ranking.
“The university does not focus on rankings, but we work hard to pursue continuous improvement of the undergraduate experience,“ they wrote. “This is a great time to be an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins, with students benefiting from incredible financial aid, improved student services, an influx of world-renowned faculty across multiple fields, and the most ambitious reform of our undergraduate curriculum in generations.”
Along with its sixth overall rank, Hopkins was ranked first in Best Biomedical Engineering Programs, 14th for overall Best Engineering Schools, fifth for Best Undergraduate Bioinformatics/Biotechnology Programs tying with Harvard University and tenth for Best Value Schools. The Best Value School ranking takes into account academic quality versus the cost of attendance.
Sophomore Ryan Garza described how this ranking will likely improve in the future as a reflection of several positive changes Hopkins has made in the past year in an email to The News-Letter.
“I believe Hopkins is doing many things well, one in particular is listening to student feedback,“ he said. “Overall, I believe Hopkins is on an upward trend and this all time high in ranking will be eventually passed due to generous financial aid, more publicity, and better facilities.”
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.