USNews 2027 Rankings Dropped

[Knight Shift]

Rutgers signed a consent decree in 2024 due to discrimination on campus.

The bus system can be improved as a Rutgers sophomore described to the Targum last year. This is obvious to every student, just like building the new College Ave quad where shuttered Brower is.

University leaders, including Tate, have shown no sense of urgency implementing these obvious common sense improvements.

C'mon, we have a football coach to fire and a new one to be hired. Priorities!!!!

 

[Knight Shift]

Some of you guys really need to venture out and see what life has to offer outside of the Garden State

It's not even a comparison, southern girls, by and large at these SEC schools, are hands down better looking than their northern counterparts at Northern schools

School spirit - way higher down south
Nicer people - again, not even a comparison
Better weather - check

I'm not one of these "I hate Jersey" types, but face facts, the weather, women and football is 100000x better down south than up north

North has better food
More educated, smarter people
More money
And way less ******** when it comes to conversations and keeping things real

To each their own - but none of these facts are disputable

Generally agree, but a couple of quibbles.
More educated does not always mean smarter. Often, it can mean dumber, and a lot dumber. But some think a degree is a substitute for street smarts and common sense. There are many snobs like this in the Northeast.
More money-it's needed in the Northeast, where nearly everything is more expensive. But with that comes the keeping up with the Jonses you meet in the Shop Rite line. That seems to be less common in the South.

 

[Jtung230]

Oregon just received a Billion dollars from Phil Knight. Guessing they will shoot up in the rankings soon.

 

[bigmatt718]

Oregon just received a Billion dollars from Phil Knight. Guessing they will shoot up in the rankings soon.

To start their own engineering school. Good on them. They joined the B1G and realized they didn't want to be playing in the same sandbox as Nebraska academically.

 

[JL23]

Generally agree, but a couple of quibbles.
More educated does not always mean smarter. Often, it can mean dumber, and a lot dumber. But some think a degree is a substitute for street smarts and common sense. There are many snobs like this in the Northeast.
More money-it's needed in the Northeast, where nearly everything is more expensive. But with that comes the keeping up with the Jonses you meet in the Shop Rite line. That seems to be less common in the South.

Agree with those sentiments
Really just depends on what you're looking for

Grateful for my time up North and will enjoy it until we move South
But the cons up here, vis a vis the south, are starting to outweigh the pros, at least for our family, IMO

 

[Knight Shift]

Agree with those sentiments
Really just depends on what you're looking for

Grateful for my time up North and will enjoy it until we move South
But the cons up here, vis a vis the south, are starting to outweigh the pros, at least for our family, IMO

Having lived in several places-NJ (mostly near beach), coastal North Carolina, Ohio, and Western NY, it's a tossup between coastal NJ and coastal Carolina. What may tilt the balance is the entertainment options, mainly music from small/medium in Asbury Park area to large at the stadiums in and around NYC and Philly. Not willing to live in Florida year round to deal with the heat and other Florida issues. Each person makes a choice that suits them best, but there is not "better" that applies to everyone.

 

[JL23]

Having lived in several places-NJ (mostly near beach), coastal North Carolina, Ohio, and Western NY, it's a tossup between coastal NJ and coastal Carolina. What may tilt the balance is the entertainment options, mainly music from small/medium in Asbury Park area to large at the stadiums in and around NYC and Philly. Not willing to live in Florida year round to deal with the heat and other Florida issues. Each person makes a choice that suits them best, but there is not "better" that applies to everyone.

I think people need to realize no place is perfect, and you may have to pay a bit more for things you enjoy
NJ is expensive for a lot of reasons, but you do get a lot for your money when you consider all of the variables

It's one of those places you don't fully appreciate until you move away
Missing things from "home", along with home state pride, start to show up big time once you leave the Garden State

 

[Fat Koko]

It’s interesting because i am proud of my 2 RU degrees- it’s a really good school with lots of very good students. But I didn’t encourage any of my 3 kids to apply there because of the busing system which leads to a crappy student experience compared
To schools with one contiguous campus and then later due to the extreme anti semitism since the 10/7 attacks.

Plus it just doesn’t really matter once you get out of school which school you went to.

Sure, a small set of companies/firms only recruit from the elite schools but after that it just doesn’t matter

My son is at Univ of AL Huntsville studying engineering And he’s learning the same stuff I did at Rutgers engineering even though his school is way lower ranked than RU.

and he’s has more American/english apeaming profs than you will get at RU - most engineering profs at RU barely speak English so good luck with that

Interesting comment about the bus system and student experience and it impacting applications. Rutgers can’t change the campus geography and needs the bus system. But Rutgers can improve the bus system and describe it as a unique to Rutgers and a positive.

 

[RUBigFrank]

Some of the drop in rankings relate to the cancelation (since reinstated) of research grants. This is true of UCLA and Cal.

 

[BossNJ]

Some of you guys really need to venture out and see what life has to offer outside of the Garden State

It's not even a comparison, southern girls, by and large at these SEC schools, are hands down better looking than their northern counterparts at Northern schools

School spirit - way higher down south
Nicer people - again, not even a comparison
Better weather - check

I'm not one of these "I hate Jersey" types, but face facts, the weather, women and football is 100000x better down south than up north

North has better food
More educated, smarter people
More money
And way less ******** when it comes to conversations and keeping things real

To each their own - but none of these facts are disputable

lol on the “but none of these facts are disputable”

Better looking women is 100% opinion
So is “nicer people”, and even weather being better is opinion. -Depending on where you are it’s increasingly hot and prone to either drought or strong storms.

As an example Dallas Texas has had over 100 days of 100+ degree weather this year. That’s “better weather”??

-I can weigh in on the “nicer people” opinion as I lived in the south for many years. On the surface, maybe, as northerners are more on the cynical side and not afraid to tell you what they think. Some of us actually prefer that to the smile to your face and talk behind your back southerners.

I’ve made friends in both places and I can tell you that there are no more loyal, supportive people than there are right here.

 

[RUChet]

Some of you guys really need to venture out and see what life has to offer outside of the Garden State

It's not even a comparison, southern girls, by and large at these SEC schools, are hands down better looking than their northern counterparts at Northern schools

School spirit - way higher down south
Nicer people - again, not even a comparison
Better weather - check

I'm not one of these "I hate Jersey" types, but face facts, the weather, women and football is 100000x better down south than up north

North has better food
More educated, smarter people
More money
And way less ******** when it comes to conversations and keeping things real

To each their own - but none of these facts are disputable

Food gap closing fast though as southern cities grow and get more international. Down here in Greenville the food rivals what we had in CT

 

[RUChet]

Interesting comment about the bus system and student experience and it impacting applications. Rutgers can’t change the campus geography and needs the bus system. But Rutgers can improve the bus system and describe it as a unique to Rutgers and a positive.

A positive that college kids have to bus to class? That’s a stretch

 

[RUChet]

Funny you call me self loathing. I never said the towns are 3rd world. Reading isn’t that great in the south. NJ population is actually growing. Math is also not so good in the south.

You said “Good luck with the southern accent. Might as well be from a 3rd world country.” — so what did you mean by that?

NJ population is growing because of immigration while native NJ folk move out. Besides the NJ growth per capita is way less than that of NC, SC, TN, FL, GA, etc

 

[Fat Koko]

A positive that college kids have to bus to class? That’s a stretch

Some kids won’t like it. Others will want the independence.

Harvard has a bus system to connect campuses in nearby cities and the university has thrived for a long time.

Rutgers needs to make its bus system better. A campus featuring a blend of both urban and suburban sections appeals to a broader base of students.

 

[Caliknight]

Some of you guys really need to venture out and see what life has to offer outside of the Garden State

It's not even a comparison, southern girls, by and large at these SEC schools, are hands down better looking than their northern counterparts at Northern schools

School spirit - way higher down south
Nicer people - again, not even a comparison
Better weather - check

I'm not one of these "I hate Jersey" types, but face facts, the weather, women and football is 100000x better down south than up north

North has better food
More educated, smarter people
More money
And way less ******** when it comes to conversations and keeping things real

To each their own - but none of these facts are disputable

Definitely better looking girls down south. And people. NJ really needs to get it's act together. Every time I am there it jumps out how unfit people are there.

 

[JL23]

lol on the “but none of these facts are disputable”

Better looking women is 100% opinion
So is “nicer people”, and even weather being better is opinion. -Depending on where you are it’s increasingly hot and prone to either drought or strong storms.

As an example Dallas Texas has had over 100 days of 100+ degree weather this year. That’s “better weather”??

-I can weigh in on the “nicer people” opinion as I lived in the south for many years. On the surface, maybe, as northerners are more on the cynical side and not afraid to tell you what they think. Some of us actually prefer that to the smile to your face and talk behind your back southerners.

I’ve made friends in both places and I can tell you that there are no more loyal, supportive people than there are right here.

Looks - Go on any SEC campus, sans Vandy, and report back
Weather - Isn't close. Main difference, it gets hot down south for longer - winters up here blow donkey dick - winters down south are awesome

Nicer - again, not even close. Southern hospitality is a real thing
Honest - North, no doubt. Some of that are northerners (myself included) are ******** at times - it's just in our nature

Loyal / Supportive - Sure, if I'm looking for a grief group, or wanted to back to high school, that would mean a lot

Not sure I've ever been talking to anyone and thought "man, this seems like a loyal and supportive person. Let me become tight with them in case I'm ever in a jam. I really admire their loyalty "

 

[JL23]

Food gap closing fast though as southern cities grow and get more international. Down here in Greenville the food rivals what we had in CT

Agree food gap is closing quickly
Greenvillie is a truly awesome city
One of the hidden gems (possibly not much longer) down south!

 

[RUTGERS95]

Generally agree, but a couple of quibbles.
More educated does not always mean smarter. Often, it can mean dumber, and a lot dumber. But some think a degree is a substitute for street smarts and common sense. There are many snobs like this in the Northeast.
More money-it's needed in the Northeast, where nearly everything is more expensive. But with that comes the keeping up with the Jonses you meet in the Shop Rite line. That seems to be less common in the South.

'the world is full of educated derelicts'

 

[JL23]

Definitely better looking girls down south. And people. NJ really needs to get it's act together. Every time I am there it jumps out how unfit people are there.

Yeah, it's not even close. I married a beautiful Italian girl, and they do have them up here, but down south by and large has a lot more beautiful women than up north, and it's not even a comparison

 

[ClassOf02v.2]

Looks - Go on any SEC campus, sans Vandy, and report back
Weather - Isn't close. Main difference, it gets hot down south for longer - winters up here blow donkey dick - winters down south are awesome

Nicer - again, not even close. Southern hospitality is a real thing
Honest - North, no doubt. Some of that are northerners (myself included) are ******** at times - it's just in our nature

Loyal / Supportive - Sure, if I'm looking for a grief group, or wanted to back to high school, that would mean a lot

Not sure I've ever been talking to anyone and thought "man, this seems like a loyal and supportive person. Let me become tight with them in case I'm ever in a jam. I really admire their loyalty "

I think the point @BossNJ was making is that these are all subjective opinions that can vary from person to person, but you called them indisputable facts.

 

[JL23]

I think the point @BossNJ was making is that these are all subjective opinions that can vary from person to person, but you called them indisputable facts.

Again, go on any SEC campus not named Vandy and compare to Rutgers on multiple levels (not diversity or education - Rutgers is superior education wise to all sans UF) and get back to me

Anyone with two eyes can spot the difference in the first 5 minutes

 

[RUTGERS95]

Again, go on any SEC campus not named Vandy and compare to Rutgers on multiple levels (not diversity or education - Rutgers is superior education wise to all sans UF) and get back to me

Anyone with two eyes can spot the difference in the first 5 minutes

Rutgers is better than UF. We don't do as much research dollars but double the top 25 ranked under/grad programs.

ironic as my youngest may be going there

 

[Fat Koko]

Definitely better looking girls down south. And people. NJ really needs to get it's act together. Every time I am there it jumps out how unfit people are there.

NJ is number three on life expectancy by state, so objectively the fitness level is near the top. Southern states, plus West Virginia, dominate the bottom.

Now, turning to college students in 2026, reasonable people will come to different conclusions about looks and fitness. That is subjective and harder to prove. The best looking college girls I ever saw were recent grads from Oral Roberts in Oklahoma.

Funny moment in New Brunswick back in early 2000s, I was junior guy enjoying lunch at Panico’s with some real estate brokers from LA including USC grad who of course told everyone he went to SC. Waiter asks at end of meal, could I get you anything else. The guy asks for cheerleaders. The waiter overheard the banter during the meal and answered, with a fake regretful look on his face because he was probably a Rutgers student but wanted a big tip, yes but only Rutgers girls not USC.

 

[JL23]

Rutgers is better than UF. We don't do as much research dollars but double the top 25 ranked under/grad programs.

ironic as my youngest may be going there

Gotcha, was going by USNWR (i know their rankings are faulty but thought UF was public Ivy slightly behind UVA/UNC)

 

[RUChet]

I think people need to realize no place is perfect, and you may have to pay a bit more for things you enjoy
NJ is expensive for a lot of reasons, but you do get a lot for your money when you consider all of the variables

It's one of those places you don't fully appreciate until you move away
Missing things from "home", along with home state pride, start to show up big time once you leave the Garden State

tell

Some kids won’t like it. Others will want the independence.

Harvard has a bus system to connect campuses in nearby cities and the university has thrived for a long time.

Rutgers needs to make its bus system better. A campus featuring a blend of both urban and suburban sections appeals to a broader base of students.

Connecting Harvard’s campuses is not the same as connecting College Ave-Busch-Livingston-Douglass-Cook where kids could need several busses a day

Find me one kid who prefers that to one contiguous campus

 

[RUChet]

Agree food gap is closing quickly
Greenvillie is a truly awesome city
One of the hidden gems (possibly not much longer) down south!

It is! We looked at Asheville too but it’s not as nice downtown, more homeless people, grittier…but Asheville is closer to the mountains

 

[BossNJ]

Looks - Go on any SEC campus, sans Vandy, and report back
Weather - Isn't close. Main difference, it gets hot down south for longer - winters up here blow donkey dick - winters down south are awesome

Nicer - again, not even close. Southern hospitality is a real thing
Honest - North, no doubt. Some of that are northerners (myself included) are ******** at times - it's just in our nature

Loyal / Supportive - Sure, if I'm looking for a grief group, or wanted to back to high school, that would mean a lot

Not sure I've ever been talking to anyone and thought "man, this seems like a loyal and supportive person. Let me become tight with them in case I'm ever in a jam. I really admire their loyalty "

lol, yeah you’re the “rugged individualist.” Good for you bud

 

[RUTGERS95]

Gotcha, was going by USNWR (i know their rankings are faulty but thought UF was public Ivy slightly behind UVA/UNC)

Rutgers was public ivy in the 90s, Purdue was last year. means nada
you are right, the overall ranking is higher but we've more ranked programs. ridiculous if you ask me but they are 'viewed' better and not sure how

 

[BossNJ]

I think the point @BossNJ was making is that these are all subjective opinions that can vary from person to person, but you called them indisputable facts.

Remind you of anyone else we know?

 

[Fat Koko]

tell

Connecting Harvard’s campuses is not the same as connecting College Ave-Busch-Livingston-Douglass-Cook where kids could need several busses a day

Find me one kid who prefers that to one contiguous campus

The fact is Rutgers needs a bus system. Many people prefer busses to walking or cycling even over short distances of two miles or less. This is why Rutgers and Harvard have bus systems.

Rutgers needs to prioritize making the bus system better.

 

[Mr. Magoo1]

Good step to getting rid of bs majors like “women’s studies”.

…Or most majors that end with the word “studies”

 

[RUChet]

The fact is Rutgers needs a bus system. Many people prefer busses to walking or cycling even over short distances of two miles or less. This is why Rutgers and Harvard have bus systems.

Rutgers needs to prioritize making the bus system better.

Of course they need a bus system as the 4 major campuses are in 2 towns and miles apart but nine of my kids had any interest spending Their time waiting for and riding buses like little kids

plus most large campuses have shuttles to get you from one side to the other if the walk is too far but not like a bus from cool campus to Busch

 

[Caliknight]

…Or most majors that end with the word “studies”

100%. All a waste of time and money for people that frankly shouldn’t be in college.

 

[NotInRHouse]

RU has by far the largest bus system. None of the 3 schools my kids go to have anything like the RU bus system so you are not informed

And you further have no idea what you are talking about with antisemitism on campus. In fact. Some prominent Jewish student leaders have needed escorts it fit so bad.

Further, Jewish students went to congress to testify about ooor conditions at RU and the president/chancellor was grilled in congress for poor conditions on campus

The fact that RU allows the pro-Palestinian, anti-Semitic camps on campus tells you all you need to know as Jewish students were harassed and intimated near them.

Well if your kids don't have a bus, that means no one has it. Thanks for the clarification.

Again, Rutgers has the second largest Jewish population of any school in America. So the thousands of non escorted, non threatened students debunks your point.

Glad you could clear up how wrong you are. But feel free to double down. Link to the "Congressional testimony" because I love to read a political operative cry.

 

[NotInRHouse]

Some of you guys really need to venture out and see what life has to offer outside of the Garden State

It's not even a comparison, southern girls, by and large at these SEC schools, are hands down better looking than their northern counterparts at Northern schools

School spirit - way higher down south
Nicer people - again, not even a comparison
Better weather - check

I'm not one of these "I hate Jersey" types, but face facts, the weather, women and football is 100000x better down south than up north

North has better food
More educated, smarter people
More money
And way less ******** when it comes to conversations and keeping things real

To each their own - but none of these facts are disputable

Nicer in that they back stab you and are nicer to your face? Also, 100 degrees in May and September not so nice.

And more attractive? We've been to the South, there's a lot more Honey Boo Boo than FSU cheerleaders out there. A LOT more. And among the hot chicks it's nice to have some diversity like we have. Like, a non-blonde here and there.

 

[JL23]

Nicer in that they back stab you and are nicer to your face? Also, 100 degrees in May and September not so nice.

And more attractive? We've been to the South, there's a lot more Honey Boo Boo than FSU cheerleaders out there. A LOT more. And among the hot chicks it's nice to have some diversity like we have. Like, a non-blonde here and there.

Nicer as in generally down to earth and overall more pleasant people overall
As stated, NE people are more upfront and to the point than any culture I've been around

Overall, there's more attractive women down south. Latina, blondes, you name it - sure, there's a lot of smoke in NYC due to the sheer amount of women there, but overall, the south trumps the north in that category

 

[JL23]

lol, yeah you’re the “rugged individualist.” Good for you bud

Lol definitely not rugged
I just don't quantify "loyal" when deciding on a place to live

When we bought our house, I didn't say to my wife "this looks like a place where loyal people live. Let's plunk down 6 figures and settle down here"

 

[RUChet]

Well if your kids don't have a bus, that means no one has it. Thanks for the clarification.

Again, Rutgers has the second largest Jewish population of any school in America. So the thousands of non escorted, non threatened students debunks your point.

Glad you could clear up how wrong you are. But feel free to double down. Link to the "Congressional testimony" because I love to read a political operative cry.

Shame on you for not believing people

I actually know a Chabad house leader that had to be escorted so there you go

We know your true leanings so glad you are upfront about it

 

[BossNJ]

Nicer in that they back stab you and are nicer to your face? Also, 100 degrees in May and September not so nice.

And more attractive? We've been to the South, there's a lot more Honey Boo Boo than FSU cheerleaders out there. A LOT more. And among the hot chicks it's nice to have some diversity like we have. Like, a non-blonde here and there.

You speak of “blondes” as it relates to southern women, but in fairness to them, there are far more peroxide blondes than natural. Speaks to your diversity comment, but it’s almost like they’re trying hard not to be diverse. Wonder why?

 

[BossNJ]

Lol definitely not rugged
I just don't quantify "loyal" when deciding on a place to live

When we bought our house, I didn't say to my wife "this looks like a place where loyal people live. Let's plunk down 6 figures and settle down here"

My comments were about you suggesting your opinions were somehow “indisputable truths” which is laughable.

And thanks again for your opinion on what criteria YOU use to determine where to live. The lesson in all this is, it isn’t all about you and what you think, but thanks again for your opinions.