Should Students Rely on College Rankings when Building Their College Lists?


Hello Reader,

I hope this message finds you well amid the monster winter storm sweeping a significant portion of the United States and the political storm sweeping this country.

Today I want to share with you my answer to a question I have received many times. Students often ask how they should build their college list. Should they rely on college rankings such as U.S. News and World Report? Are highly ranked colleges inherently better?

Below is a video clip of my answer to this question during a live coaching session with students in CFF College Fully Funded®, our college admissions coaching program focused on helping students obtain admission with full funding to avoid debt. In the program students learn to build a balanced college list that goes beyond a superficial factor like college rankings. If this resonates with you and you want to learn more about how our program can help your family meet your college admission goals. let's start a conversation. Or if you know any families that might benefit, please share this with them.

video preview

I hope you have a great week, and if you are in the path of the storm -- literal or political, please stay warm and stay safe.

To college fully funded,

Dr. Faith Okpotor

Founder and CFF Head Coach

National Center for Higher Education Access

Award-winning academic and tenured professor

P.S. Here are the ways to work with us.

  1. CFF College Fully Funded®, a 3-month intensive, curriculum-based comprehensive college admissions coaching program followed by a 7-month application support membership to help prospective undergraduate students find, apply, and get accepted at U.S. colleges/universities that will provide them full funding. Registration for the next cohort is underway.
  2. GradSchool Fully Funded, a self-paced graduate school admissions coaching program and annual membership that helps prospective master's and PhD students find, apply, and secure admission with full funding into U.S. graduate programs. You can enroll at anytime. If you are interested in joining a small 2026 cohort of GFF, click here.
  3. 1-on-1 consultation service for prospective graduate students, those interested in living and working in the United States, and people with other higher education consultation needs.
  4. The College Admission Readiness Audit (CARA) for high school freshers, sophomores and juniors. Receive a college admission readiness assessment and a personalized hour long 1-on-1 session to review your assessment results and receive recommendations on what to focus on to prepare for a successful college admission cycle. Email us to learn more.

Dr. Faith Okpotor

I am a college professor and the creator CFF College Fully Funded® and GradSchool Fully Funded. We help ambitious students, find, apply, and get into U.S. colleges/universities and graduate programs with full funding in order to avoid debt. Please use the links in the Links tab to learn more about me, our programs, or to connect. You can also read a few samples of previous editions of my twice monthly newsletter via the Posts link. If you would like to receive the newsletter on all things college admissions and funding, please subscribe below. To email me: collegefullyfunded@gmail.com .

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