Importance of College Rankings

Why knowing ranking of the college is important?

Colleges get their rankings after careful scrutiny of their credentials by outside sources. Standard of the students, quality of faculty, quality of the available infrastructure, viewpoint from the industry, and finally past record of placement carry a lot of weight in determining rankings of the colleges. Not necessarily, rankings prove the real worth of the colleges. As it is an open secret that persevering students and dedicated faculties bring quality to the system of education in an institution. But moreover, rankings are based on the pros and cons in the position of an educational institution. As over the years, the true perspective in the learning in an education system does not rest simply on the teaching in various streams, it is now focussed on broad factors like post-qualification scope for employment and status of the particular institution in the industries. Colleges do not get better ranks by outside sources in a year; rather it is the value of their accumulated merits for many years. Outside sources like newspapers, magazines, web-portals, investigative journals, TV shows, and other independent sources determine rankings of the colleges after thorough but careful examination of facts.

Know the rank position-know the quality in the selection of students

Ranking of the college is absolutely indicative about the standard of strict parameters in selection that the college follows in conducting merit-based admission of the students for its various courses in various courses. It is also equally pertinent to consider as to how many top ranked students from all India entrance examinations have sought admissions in a particular college.

Is the college a favourite destination of top rankers in various entrance tests? This question is absolutely a determining factor in the ranking of a particular college. If the college has consistently wooed the top-rankers in its students list for years, it gets added to the ‘brand image’ of the college. Such image is helpful in the calculation of ranking of the college.

For this, ‘cut off’ marks in the final list of admission of the students carry a lot of importance. If the ‘cut off’ mark is high, it certainly acts in the favour of college and boosts up the ranking to a great extent. When the college gives admission to students with poor grade cards, it certainly is an indication that the college is trying to raise resources for its survival without minding to raise its performance and rankings in various fields.

Has the college produced top minds in the past?

Whenever, there is news about a topper in any national-level competition for jobs, people are curious about his or her background in education. When they know that the student is the product of a particular college, it goes to a great extent in proving the mettle of the teaching system in the college. When the college is careful about inoculation of values in building knowledge and character in the students, it becomes a bonus point for the ranking of the college.

After all, in an over-competitive world, the principle of ‘perform or perish’ is equally applicable in the ranking of the college.

High ranking is the real introduction of its quintessential faculty!

Now-a-days, it is in vogue that top private or deemed universities hire internationally renowned faculties. When distinguished personalities from various fields like art, cinema, business, social service, writing, and politics visit the college for rounds of talks on varying subjects, it amply proves that the college pursues earnestly practical lessons from the outside world and helps the students in bridging up gaps between theory and practical.

Ranking might be better for world-class infrastructure

Buildings, air-conditioned class-rooms, auditoriums, excellent infrastructure for sports, modern hostels, and top-class security arrangements are some of the distinguishing features, which the deemed universities in India have for their students. As a matter of fact, top-class infrastructure developed for the teaching of the students helps a lot in bringing high ranking for the colleges under various universities. Such facilities attract students and give them added advantages in learning. Colleges are vying to build excellent infrastructure that gives them excellent image. Industries provide more opportunities for campus recruitment when the infrastructure developed by college is excellent.

Colleges with cent percent campus recruitment get high rankings

In the days of high growth of information technology in nineties, colleges achieved 100% campus recruitment for their students. This is mainly possible for excellent employment opportunities available in the good period of growth of certain industry and other facilities provided by the college for training the students. The top engineering colleges under NITs and IITs are still having 100% campus recruitment opportunities for their students. This helps in bringing higher rankings for the colleges. Deemed universities like KIT, Symbiosis, and Xavier have now excellent reputation as those provide 100% campus recruitment.

How industries consider the status of a college?

Business establishments in India are the biggest contributors to the growth of colleges and universities in India. Industrial leaders have sharper observation in their judgements about colleges and universities. Magazines and newspapers regularly publish the opinions of the industrial leaders about colleges and universities. Better quality of teaching and infrastructure attract the industrial leaders to hire students to work in their companies. Industries have a direct role in creating better ranking of colleges. Top industrial leaders often attend ceremonies in the colleges and deliver speeches, which act as healthier propaganda for the colleges. As growth and employment opportunities by the industries have stayed more or less consistent in India in the last two decades, opinion of the industrial leaders give the colleges and universities added advantage in creating status in the education system. With the patronage provided by the industries, colleges have gained outstanding reputation for them and become successful in securing place with higher rankings. For example, industries have even extended their full support in recruitment to a university like Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), which imparts teaching through distance learning system. Due to its excellence of course material, online teaching system, strict supervision of education system, industries have given greater recognition to all the courses offered by this university. Over the years, pass-outs from this university have found employment in various industries in India. Recognition from the industrial sector is a major contributor in enhancing the status of the college and its ranking.