How Does US News Define 'Most Innovative' In Its College Rankings?

I've been looking at the US News college rankings, and I saw that they have a category for 'most innovative' colleges. I'm wondering how they actually determine this - does anyone understand their methodology? Is it mostly about ground-breaking research, tech improvements, or novel teaching methods?

US News defines 'most innovative' schools as those making the "most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities."

Here's how they generate the list of 'most innovative' schools: They ask college presidents, provosts, and admissions deans to nominate up to 15 schools in their Best Colleges ranking category that are making the most forward-looking improvements.

This means that the ranking comes from the opinions of top college officials about which schools are innovating in unique and impactful ways. It's not based directly on measurable factors like the number of research papers published, patents filed, or new teaching methods introduced.

While the specific innovations each ranked college has made may differ, the common element is that these schools are perceived by their peers to be making exciting, modern, and meaningful changes. It could be related to enhancing student engagement, introducing new technology in the educational process, streamlining the administrative process, or any other inventive approaches taken to improve their institution and the experiences of their students.

That being said, the "Most Innovative" category is somewhat subjective, as it is based on the opinions of school officials, unlike other rankings that are based on quantifiable measures. Therefore, while it is useful in identifying schools seen as leaders and pioneers, it should be used in combination with other factors when evaluating the best fit for you.