Higher Institutions Under Fire

One of the most stressful things about the end of high school for many American teenagers is the college admission process. In the application process, students must provide a transcript of their GPA, extracurricular activities and for most, standardized test results. However selective a college or university may be, they typically offer admission to those students who fit their academic and student profile of caliber.

A student body profile often provides a glance to the public of what the school is like and how rigorous the curricular is etc. Naturally, the more competitive the college looks, the 'better' is would seem.

In efforts to get ahead and establish a 'good' reputation, many higher institutions have altered the data for the public eye. In a recent article for the Washington Post, Nick Andersen examines how some colleges have misreported data in efforts to skewed rankings (such as those seen in the U.S. News and World Report). According to the article, Bucknell University in Pennsylvania announced that for several years it had reported inflated SAT scores for incoming students and others submitted incorrect test scores or overstated the high school rankings of their incoming freshmen. Andersen argues that these schools have misreported data in efforts to "angle for prestige to stand out in a crowded market [of colleges]". I think the use of the word 'prestige' is key; colleges feel that in order to convince their peers or potential donors for their continued support, they must stretch the truth.

To what extent do you think the altering of test scores affects a university's rankings? I wonder if there should be legislation enacted to deter public higher institutions from inflating class ranks or other aspects of their student body profile in the future.