Princeton joins challenge to college rankings

PRINCETON —  Princeton University has donated $30,000 to a nonprofit group’s effort to develop new rating system for colleges and universities as an alternative to the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings, The Daily Princetonian reported on Monday.
   According to the student daily, Yale has also given $30,000 to the $400,000 project, by the group Education Conservancy, and Harvard may do so as well.
   While Princeton’s participation is in keeping with the view of university officials that the U.S. News rankings are of limited value to prospective students, the magazine has rated Princeton the nation’s top college annually since 2000.
   The Education Conservancy says it is seeking to reduce commercial influences on the college application process and “reestablish educational authority, equity and access as college admission precept,” the Daily Princetonian reported.