NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT – The latest reports by U.S. News are describing Yale University as a Private Ivy.
The label is a reference to Public Ivy, a term that first showed up in Richard Moll’s Public Ivies: A Guide to America’s Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities. The label describes reputable colleges and universities funded and operated by state governments, such as the University of Virginia or the University of Texas at Austin.
Following the book’s 1985 publication, it is a term solely used by students and alumni of institutions on the list – particularly when Public Ivy students and alumni talk to acquaintances about where they went to college and the acquaintance is not immediately impressed.
“This really puts Yale’s name up there with other top private schools, like Stanford and Duke,”
Lauren Camera, Senior Education Writer for U.S. News
Yale’s increasingly competitive admissions process and strong employment outcomes are a big factor in earning the university this new label. Experts suggest that, as a result, Yale might pull some applications away from Public Ivies.
Social media is already buzzing about what other private colleges and universities are worthy of the label Private Ivy.
Robert Morse, the Chief Data Strategist for U.S. News, confirmed earlier reports that his publication is compiling a list of institutions that might be worthy of the Private Ivy label.
In an exchange of emails about other universities that are potentially in league with Yale as Private Ivies, Morse said Harvard and Princeton are “probably” going to be on the final list. When inquired about the University of Pennsylvania, Morse replied “Isn’t that a state school? That sounds like a state school.”
Ivy Lampoon 