Several colleges have been caught trying to manipulate test scores to game national school rankings, The New York Times reported.
Schools such as Claremont Kenna, Iona College, Baylor Universityand others have been caught tweaking data to climb in national rankings, including the best colleges chart released by U.S. News & World Report.
Villanova University and the University of Illinois have also admitted to misreporting statistics. While Villanova has admitted their manipulation was intentional, Illinois has remained silent on the issue.
U.S. News compiles its annual college rankings based on SAT scores, student retention, academic reputation, school finances and faculty resources. This year, for the first time, the publication started ranking online schools.