Wikipedia talk:College and university article advice

Relevant RfC at Wikipedia talk:Notability about notability and embedded lists
You are invited to participate in an RfC at Wikipedia talk:Notability asking if relevant notability guidelines should be modified to clarify that notability can be used as a criterion for inclusion in embedded lists. If it is passed, it may result in changes to this advice article. ElKevbo (talk) 01:23, 24 August 2023 (UTC)

Naming Conventions Lists
Under number 3, the example given is "List of alumni of Jesus College, Oxford". However, it is my understanding that current naming guidelines prefer the shorter "List of Jesus College, Oxford alumni". Should this example be changed to another article with the shorter format? Rublamb (talk) 07:37, 7 October 2023 (UTC)

Sources for rankings
Is there a specific list of sources that are considered reliable for ranking universities? Is it College and university rankings? I ask because at Baylor University, there is a ranking by a group called Campus Pride. Thank you for your input. Magnolia677 (talk) 19:14, 7 October 2023 (UTC)


 * There are well-established academic rankings, which are generally the ones listed in the infobox for the country and are agreed by consensus at the infobox page (it's generally good, therefore, to use specific rankings infoboxes such as 'Infobox US university ranking' rather than the generic one). There are also an increasing number of rankings based on other factors but, in general, I would limit the reputation and ranking section under 'Academics' to academic rankings, omitting rankings of how environmentally friendly, inclusive, etc. the institution is. However, that's not too say that such rankings don't belong somewhere on the page – just that they don't belong under Academics. I would suggest including the Campus Pride ranking under Student life. Robminchin (talk) 20:11, 7 October 2023 (UTC)s.

Notability of List of Harvard University People
I'm looking for advice as to what makes List of Harvard University people. I'm not saying that it should be deleted, it has hundreds of references for specific people (most with Wikipedia articles), but I'm wondering what any of those articles say that would not be equally appropriate if that many people would be located for List of Baltimore County Community College Alumni of List of Sigma Nu members. Naraht (talk) 11:28, 3 January 2024 (UTC)


 * I’m not sure I’ve understood your question, but if you’re asking who is to be included in List of Harvard University people, isn’t that defined in the first sentence of the article: The list of Harvard University people includes  notable graduates, professors, and administrators affiliated with Harvard University? Phlar (talk) 14:56, 3 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Hi @Naraht! If I'm understanding your question correctly, you're wondering about how we define Notability for list articles. The answer to that is recorded at WP:LISTN. In practice, however, the precedents are a lot weaker and the rules less formalized for lists than for non-lists. You can search through the AFD archives for list article nominations for examples if you're curious. Hope that helps! Cheers, &#123;{u&#124; Sdkb  }&#125;  talk 18:11, 3 January 2024 (UTC)
 * alumni editnotice is often helpful. In articles I write, I chose to use the wording "Noted alumni" rather than "Notable alumni" in order to avoid conflation of the Wikipedia concept of notability with the local concept of "important enough to be due for inclusion in this list". &#123;{u&#124; Sdkb  }&#125;  talk 18:15, 3 January 2024 (UTC)
 * In the particular case that I'm interested, the entries are all either for people with Wikipedia pages or a few where they would qualify (fake example) 4th, 5th and 6th presidents of Yale all graduated from Harvard, but only the 4th and 6th have pages at this moment but all three are listed on List of Harvard University people. The primary issue is that in the example Sigma Nu has notability, and the list might not be an issue *if it remained as part of the Sigma Nu article*, what should be done if a notability question on List of Sigma Nu members comes up? It feels like there really *isn't* an answer, but the question is whether the appropriate Wikiproject could set something. (And no, Sigma Nu isn't the GLO in question).Naraht (talk) 20:54, 3 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Sorry, I'm still having trouble understanding what you're asking. &#123;{u&#124; Sdkb  }&#125;  talk 21:56, 3 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Boiled down. If the article on X shows notability, what determines notability for an article "Alumni of X"?Naraht (talk) 14:34, 4 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Ah, okay. Boiled down, the response is WP:LISTN. Cheers, &#123;{u&#124; Sdkb  }&#125;  talk 14:55, 4 January 2024 (UTC)

Proposal to add language dissuading detailed listings of academic departments
I'd like to add language to this essay to this essay that explicitly dissuades editors from adding or retaining detailed listings of academic departments or similar units in articles about colleges and universities. It's appropriate to include listings or descriptions of particularly large or prominent units (e.g., colleges of universities, historically important departments) but it's not appropriate to include detailed listings of smaller academic units (e.g., all 60 departments of a large university). The current advice we have for this material in the "Organization and administration" subsection of the "Article structure" section is:


 * Discuss the structure of the administration, current leadership, budget, relationship with a board of trustees or regents, student government, endowment information, and academic divisions of the college/university. If this college/university has a special organizational structure, such as a residential college system, then it should be mentioned here. If the university is part of a larger system (as in University of California) or otherwise has formal relationships with other colleges/universities, discuss this relationship and provide requisite wikilinks. Capital campaigns and major endowment numbers should also be presented here, with any notable gifts being referenced. If the college or university has formal affiliations with other educational institutions (e.g., Five Colleges) or is a member of a major consortium or other inter-university organization (Annapolis Group, Association of American Universities, etc.), mention these as well.

It might be helpful to change it so it reads (proposed additions are bolded):


 * Discuss the structure of the administration, current leadership, budget, relationship with a board of trustees or regents, student government, endowment information, and important academic divisions of the college/university. Detailed listings of smaller or less prominent academic divisions should be avoided. If this college/university has a special organizational structure, such as a residential college system, then it should be mentioned here. If the university is part of a larger system (as in University of California) or otherwise has formal relationships with other colleges/universities, discuss this relationship and provide requisite wikilinks. Capital campaigns and major endowment numbers should also be presented here, with any notable gifts being referenced. If the college or university has formal affiliations with other educational institutions (e.g., Five Colleges) or is a member of a major consortium or other inter-university organization (Annapolis Group, Association of American Universities, etc.), mention these as well.

Thoughts? ElKevbo (talk) 01:53, 11 February 2024 (UTC)


 * This seems reasonable. It might be good to cite WP:NOTDIRECTORY to give a policy basis for this advice. I think the wording works for ensuring notable academic divisions can be listed, without overly limiting it to just notable divisions (often a faculty or college is important for university organisation without being notable, after all). Robminchin (talk) 16:48, 14 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Perhaps bolding List of offered degrees should not be included. HarveyPrototype (talk) 03:55, 14 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Sounds good to me.  Sdkb  talk 13:50, 14 May 2024 (UTC)