Build a good reputation. "U.S. News" polls presidents and deans from other universities, as well as almost 2,000 high school guidance counselors, and utilizes these surveys in calculating ranks. Hire professional, personable, and sales-oriented admissions counselors to visit high schools and meet with guidance counselors. Then, market the college or university and build a relationship with the deans and presidents of other institutions.
Keep current students happy and enable them to graduate in six years or less. Retention of students is another factor in the rankings. "U.S. News" looks for the number of students who graduate within six years, as well as how many freshmen return the following year. Hire and train strong academic advisers and have a system in place to assist students with planning and scheduling, so they can graduate in a timely manner. Flag and meet with students who have not graduated after the first four years. Create a supportive, nurturing, stimulating and social environment, so that students will return as sophomores.
Hire more and better-quality professors. Another portion of the ranking score comes from a review of faculty. Not only does the degree-level of professors count, but also class size, student-teacher ratio, and the percentage of professors who are full time, as opposed to part-time adjuncts. Keep class sizes as small as possible by hiring additional staff, and incentivize adjuncts to join as full-time professors. Look for professors who have attained the terminal degree in their field, such as a Ph.D., M.D., Psy.D. or J.D., as opposed to a master's degree.
Accept fewer students, and accept stronger candidates. The rankings factor in the percent of applicants a university or college admits, as well as student quality criteria such as SAT/ACT scores and high-school ranking of the student body. Select applicants who scored well on standardized tests and ranked in the top of their class in high school.
Get alumni to donate. Although it has no bearing on the quality of a university's academics, "U.S. News" looks at the number of alums who donate to their alma mater as a sign of satisfaction of former students. Hire and develop a staff devoted to raising funds from alumni, and have alumni events and newsletters to keep the college and university on alums' minds.