Every year, U.S. colleges submit a list of other schools they consider to be their peers in terms of finances, enrollment, and other measures to the Department of Education. In exchange, the schools get feedback on their performance relative to their self-reported peer group. The Chronicle of Higher Education took this data from around 1,600 four-year colleges to create a network visualization of these peer groups. Clusters readily emerge in the visualization, including top-tier private universities, liberal arts colleges, and large public universities. The results can be surprising, as some colleges are more ambitious than others in naming peers. For example, 55 colleges outside the Ivy League, including small institutions like Alabama A&M University and Regent University, selected Ivy League schools in their lists.
What Colleges Does Your School Compare Itself To?
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