Columbia University Withdraws from U.S. News College Rankings

Columbia University has become the first major university to refuse to supply information to the U.S. News & World Report college rankings for its undergraduate schools, citing concerns about the rankings' "outsized influence" in the admissions process. The move comes after Columbia dropped in the rankings and prestigious law and medical schools, including Columbia's, decided to boycott the listings. U.S. News defended its ranking system as an important guide for students, but has announced new methodology for undergraduate programs that would give increased weight to a school's success in graduating students from different backgrounds.