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The Commodification of Higher Education
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The Commodification of Higher Education

Alia Wong
The Atlantic, 2016
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

The Atlantic magazine’s Alia Wong charts the rise of the U.S. News & World Report university rankings in the 1980s as part of a larger trend toward the commodification of higher education. The 21st-century academic system functions like a marketplace where schools compete for the best students to buy their product, but many top educators contend that the rankings have a detrimental effect on higher education. getAbstract recommends this critical analysis to students, parents, educators, school administrators and counselors seeking a more holistic perspective on what makes for a quality university experience beyond the rankings.

Take-Aways

  • In the face of funding shortfalls, American universities in the 1980s began to develop commercial marketing techniques to attract new students.
  • The U.S. News & World Report’s college and university rankings became an important marketing tool.
  • Universities market aggressively to prospective students to grow the number of applications they receive and reject, which in turn boosts their rankings.

About the Author

Alia Wong is associate editor at The Atlantic, where she oversees the education section.

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