Learn about the workings of RateMyProfessors.

Whether you're preparing for your first class or gearing up for registration next semester, understanding what to expect from your professor can ease your nerves and help you navigate the course better. RateMyProfessors.com, a social networking platform, offers over 6.8 million student-generated reviews of more than one million professors across universities in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Like other social networks, you can access RateMyProfessors via your browser and use it for free, including reading professor reviews without needing an account.

RateMyProfessors has experienced significant growth since its creation by John Swapceinski in 1999. The software engineer from Menlo Park, Calif., sold the platform to Baltimore Solutions, Inc., in 2005. The new owners, Patrick Nagle and Will DeSantis, were seasoned in managing social networks, having launched an online textbook exchange during their college years. After joining Viacom MTV Networks in 2007, they brought RateMyProfessors along, relocating the headquarters to New York. Today, the platform is part of mtvU, a network designed for college students, featuring social networks, entertainment news, contests, and articles.

Like other social networking platforms, RateMyProfessors.com features sponsor advertisements on every page. MTV Networks occasionally promotes its upcoming shows on the main page of RateMyProfessors, alongside other mtvU videos. According to RateMyProfessors, the site has 9 million users, with 75% being students, 56% female, and 86% aged between 18 and 35 [source: RateMyProfessors].

In this article, we will examine RateMyProfessors' rating system and compare it to professor feedback found on other social networking websites and online communities.

How to Use RateMyProfessors

Anyone can explore and read student-submitted feedback about professors on RateMyProfessors.com without the need to create an account or log in. Simply search for the school and professor, and click on the professor’s name in the results to access their profile. Here’s what you’ll find on each professor’s "scorecard":

Scroll down past the scorecard to see all the ratings submitted for that professor. This list includes the rating date, the class the student was enrolled in, and their initial opinion of the professor before taking the course. Some comments may offer helpful advice for succeeding in the course with that specific professor. Like many other online communities, RateMyProfessors allows users to flag any content that seems inaccurate, defamatory, or doesn't comply with the site’s posting rules.

RateMyProfessors operates similarly to other social networks, requiring users to create an account and log in before submitting ratings or professor feedback. In addition to creating a username, password, and standard profile details, users must provide their school, major, and at least one current professor. After that, you can choose up to six professors for your profile and opt to receive updates on music, contests, and even casting calls from mtvU.

Once logged into RateMyProfessors, you can search for any professor in the system and submit your own rating. If the professor isn't found in search results, you can add them by clicking the link at the end of the list. No verification is required when entering the professor's details. As a result, some fictional professors with humorous ratings, often inspired by TV shows or movies, exist on the site.

After completing your rating, RateMyProfessors will ask for additional information not visible on the professor's scorecard. The rating form requests feedback on the textbook, your grade (with an option for "Rather Not Say"), and whether the professor is still teaching. Comments are limited to 350 characters, and a link to the posting guidelines is provided—just like on other social networking platforms.

Professors also have a voice on RateMyProfessors. Each professor's page includes a link that says "Professors add your rebuttal here." Clicking it displays a message detailing how professors can write rebuttal comments, which are linked to the student ratings. Professors must complete a separate registration to become a "certified professor." This process is more thorough, and the site mentions that each registration is "analyzed and verified before access is granted."

Next, we will explore the advantages of using RateMyProfessors and compare them to those offered by its competitors.

Advantages of RateMyProfessors

While many social networks constantly introduce new features to improve their communities, the strength of RateMyProfessors lies in its unwavering focus on one main objective: providing feedback on college professors. The ratings are easy to find and contribute to, and the site remains free of charge, without any unnecessary social networking features. Although RateMyProfessors includes a forum where members can voice their opinions, it remains simple and less developed compared to other social networks. The true value of RateMyProfessors comes from its vast collection of ratings accumulated over more than a decade of use.

RateMyProfessors features a blend of both positive and negative reviews from mostly undergraduate students. It also includes a difficulty rating that allows comparison with how the student felt about the class and the professor. While posting guidelines help filter out irrelevant or unhelpful information, many comments provide valuable tips for future students. Beyond the rating system, mtvU creates an inviting and fun atmosphere on RateMyProfessors, embracing the lively side of college life.

Since its inception, RateMyProfessors has stirred controversy, particularly from universities and professors [source: Vosilla]. The technology behind the site holds potential to replace old-fashioned paper evaluation methods, granting students access to previously inaccessible data. However, the site often attracts students who have either had extreme experiences—either excellent or terrible—and who bring an agenda when submitting their ratings and comments [source: Barker].

In a 2007 article on professor rating websites, Naomi Rockler-Gladen explored the various arguments for and against social networks dedicated to professor reviews. Although the arguments against largely reflect concerns voiced by RateMyProfessors' critics, the support for such platforms centers on their ability to provide students with a venue to defend themselves against professors who misuse their power or attempt to indoctrinate students. Through a balanced presentation of pros and cons, Rockler-Gladen's article does not take a stance but encourages both students and professors to critically consider the worth of RateMyProfessors.

The number of professor rating websites is expanding, but most are still less established than RateMyProfessors and adopt diverse approaches. For instance, Campushopper.com offers a range of social networking features for college students in addition to professor ratings. Lesser-known sites like Professor Performance (myprofessorsucks.com) use a school-like grading system instead of numeric ratings, while GPABook.com includes textbook price comparisons. Newer platforms like PickAProf.com create visually appealing rating charts but restrict access to users who register with an email from their institution. Tech-savvy students may also use search engines to find blogs and posts about professors from other social networking sites, but these results may lack the credibility of an established site with abundant ratings.

Although RateMyProfessors remains highly popular with countless ratings, some users question the credibility of using such social networks to gather reliable information about college professors. Even if critics' voices grow louder or new competitors emerge, RateMyProfessors' first decade has solidified its position as a favorite resource for semester planning among millions of college students.

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