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This study examined the effect that variances in the U.S. News & World Report rankings have on enrollment trends and practices in both top and non-top 25 business schools. The purpose of this study was to determine whether mobility in the rankings was met with a statistically significant response to the research questions presented. While this was not the first study to look at business school rankings and their effect on enrollment trends, it was the first one to look at recent data associated with this phenomenon, as well as, the first study to utilize panel data in order to determine the answer to its research questions. The four research questions put forth dealt with enrollment numbers, student quality, acceptance rates, and peer assessment scores. The study determined that the research questions are not statistically significant across the board and that one group is more sensitive than the other to variation in the rankings. Possible practical implications for these findings and further research are discussed, as well as, the limitations of the study.

Guillermo de Veyga serves as the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at New Jersey City University (NJCU). He earned his Ph.D. from Seton Hall University in Higher Education Management, Leadership, and Policy; and his M.B.A. from NJCU in Organizational Management and Leadership. He also holds a B.A. from Rutgers University in Political Science. Some of Guillermo’s research interests include funding models for higher education, enrollment trends, and ranking methods in higher education. Guillermo has lived in four different countries and speaks two languages fluently and three conversationally. He can be reached at gdeveyga@njcu.edu or www.linkedin.com/in/gdeveyga.

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