University knowingly exaggerated the share of alumni who donate.
U.S. News & World Report has stripped the University of Oklahoma of its ranking, citing incorrect information provided about alumni giving. The university told U.S. News that it has been supplying incorrect data since 1999.
According to the magazine, the most recent report from Oklahoma claimed that its two-year rate of alumni giving was 14 percent, when it is actually 9.7 percent. Alumni giving counts for 5 percent of the methodology in the “Best Colleges” ranking by U.S. News. As a result, the magazine removed Oklahoma from that ranking and several others, including “best value” colleges, top public universities and best colleges for veterans.
Colleges periodically lose their rankings because of false data, sometimes submitted incorrectly but without the intent to deceive.