Many students and their parents choose prospective colleges based on college rankings, such as the U.S. News and World Report rankings. College rankings are published each year to much fanfare. Most colleges and universities participate in surveys that produce the rankings, and they later trumpet favorable ratings of their overall institutions or of specific departments and programs.

University and college professors have long been skeptical about the rankings, especially ones produced by media companies such as U.S. News.

A new report throws further doubt on the usefulness of college rankings. The Washington Post article provides evidence that some colleges have deliberately misreported data in order bolster their rankings.

We can expect to see more of this sort of revelation in the future.