Notes in the Margins: Rankings, the loan bubble and the college shakeout

US News & World Report Releases Best National Universities 2014 Ranking Despite changes in the methodology for U.S. News & World Report's annual best colleges rankings, the list of top national universities was once again dominated by Ivy League schools and elite institutions like Stanford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (The Huffington Post)

U.S. News' College Rankings Are Terrible -- But It's Not (Completely) Their Fault Despite all the criticism, the rankings' shortcomings aren't entirely U.S. News' fault. A school's reputation and money account for almost half (44.5 percent) of the rankings are proxies for information that just isn't available. Not only is it not available, but collecting and keeping it all in one place for students to shop around is actually illegal. (The Huffington Post)

Higher education is headed for a shakeout, analysts warn Financial consulting firm Bain & Company concluded that one-third of colleges and universities are having financial trouble. Several have closed, and a few are in bankruptcy. (The Hechinger Report)

No, the Student Loan Crisis Is Not a Bubble Why pundits who see echoes of the housing bust in student loans have it wrong. (The Atlantic)

$250 million gift to Kentucky college withdrawn A small Kentucky liberal arts college lost out on one of the largest gifts in U.S. higher education history when the $250 million donation was withdrawn. (Associated Press)

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