For 40 years, U.S. News and World Report has released rankings of the nation's top colleges, universities, and graduate schools. They've been used in advertising materials for schools and showcased in the national media. But in recent months, dozens of the nation's top-ranked institutions have stopped providing data to the publication.Yale University Law School was the top law school in the country in the U.S. News ranking for years, then chose to stop cooperating in November of last year. Forty more law schools, including 12 of the top 14 ranked in the country followed suit. Some undergraduate schools also decided they would no longer participate in the U.S. News and World Report rankings.We discuss how important these rankings should be for prospective students. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy