ASU is again the most innovative university, U.S. News says
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ASU president Michael Crow. Photo: Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Annual Summit
Arizona State University climbed ahead of rival University of Arizona in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings released Tuesday, and remained the most innovative institution in the country.
Why it matters: As universities face changing demographics and skepticism about the value of postsecondary education, competition between institutions has become steeper.
The big picture: The share of Americans who say college is "very important" plummeted over the past decade, according to Gallup polling released earlier this month.
- Universities are now in a position of having to prove their worth to a dwindling population with a multitude of options.
Zoom in: U.S. News & World Report ranked ASU in a 10-way tie for No. 117 in the U.S., up four spots from last year.
- Meanwhile, U of A fell to No. 127 from No. 109 last year.
- Northern Arizona University moved up two spots to No. 242.
- Grand Canyon University ranked in the bottom 10% of schools. (U.S. News & World Report does not provide numerical rankings for the lowest-scoring universities).
Between the lines: The annual rankings are determined by 17 categories that evaluate student outcomes, academic resources and reputation.
- Caveat: Because the national rankings include more than 400 schools, small rank changes are often statistically insignificant, "reflecting normal data fluctuations rather than shifts in quality," according to U.S. News & World Report.
What they're saying: GCU spokesperson Bob Romantic told Axios that the university has declined to participate in the U.S. News rankings for about a decade, arguing the methodology relies on factors it deems unimportant "to the learning outcomes of students."
- He added that "whatever ranking they assign us is completely arbitrary since we do not submit data to them, yet they still typically list us (and others) at the bottom of their rankings."
The intrigue: This is the 11th straight year ASU has notched the top spot in the innovation category.
- The peer-nominated category is determined by a survey of top academics. ASU has earned the No. 1 spot each year since the category's inception.
- The title is both a point of pride and a recurring joke among alumni.
The latest: Over the past year, the university announced its intention to open a new ASU Health headquarters in downtown Phoenix and expanded its semiconductor programs.
What we're watching: In January, before President Biden left office, ASU was one of three sites chosen to develop a semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging research and development facility via CHIPS Act funding.
- At the time, ASU president Michael Crow said it represented "the greatest national laboratory investments since those that came out of the Manhattan Project."
- Yes, but: The Trump administration announced last month it would claw back $7.4 billion awarded for chips research, including $1.1 billion that was supposed to go toward the ASU facility.
- In a statement, ASU said it has no other plans for the property and "the need for the project remains."
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include Grand Canyon University's spokesperson's comment on the school's ranking.