Why College Rankings Keep Deans Awake at Night

College represents one of the biggest decisions and investments many consumers will ever make. But can they really trust the rankings available to help them choose? Harvard Business School professor Bill Kirby unpacks the complex world of university rankings, including what “world-class” actually means, what rankings don’t take into account, and how schools are learning to game an imperfect system. Kirby is the author of the case study, “World-class Universities: Rankings and Reputation in Higher Education.”