Stillman College, a private liberal arts college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has become the first historically Black college to officially withdraw from the annual U.S. News and World Report.
In a statement addressed to U.S. News and World Report CEO and Executive Chairman Eric Gertler, Stillman College President Cynthia Warrick announced the withdrawal of the HBCU from the college rankings.
“After much consideration and thought, Stillman College will be withdrawing from the U.S. News and World Report Best
in College Rankings, effective immediately. Through research and deliberation, we conclude that the methodology and weighting system of the U.S. News rankings do not reflect the full value and commitments of our institution,” Warrick said in the statement.According to AL.com, Warrick challenged the organization to reassess how much weight is put on certain topics. Lower-resourced schools and HBCUs are at a disadvantage as the rankings are “based predominantly on graduation rate.” The 2022–2023 rankings listed Stillman 40 out of 100, and researchers ranked the college 63rd out of 132 southern regional colleges and 59th out of 77 HBCUs.
“Even though we’ve got these students getting PhDs and getting great jobs and starting their own businesses and we’re producing teachers and our Honda Quiz Bowl team won a national championship, we don’t get any credit for that,” Warrick said. “If the data were more fair, then you’d have more HBCUs higher in the ranking system because of the outcomes they produce.”
Reportedly, the majority of enrolled students at Stillman are African American, female, and eligible for Pell Grants. The college also has over 100 students who classify as parents.
“Stillman has found that the circumstances of poverty challenges these students to make decisions that call them in and out of enrollment,” Warrick said. “Yet, Stillman remains committed to them. How does U.S. News measure our commitment? I opine that it does not.”
Stillman College eliminated several athletic programs resulting in a decline of over 200 students.
“Our rankings help aspiring students as they take their first step in ensuring their career opportunities, earning potential, and quality of life,” the organization said, adding that “students require reliable information to guide them in their decision-making process.”
U.S. News and World Report found an average of 23% of students graduated from Stillman within six years, less than the 27% reported by the National Center for Education Statistics.