Forbes Ranks America’s Top Colleges

Williams College Tops List for 2nd Consecutive Year

NEW YORK--()--Williams College tops Forbes’ annual ranking of America’s Top Colleges for the second consecutive year. Princeton University retains its No. 2 spot on the rankings, which are prepared exclusively for Forbes by the Center for College Affordability & Productivity – with a focus on ‘the things that matter the most to students: quality of teaching, great career prospects, graduation rates and low levels of debt.’ The United States Military Academy edged up to No. 3 from No. 4 in 2010, followed by Amherst College (No. 4) and Stanford University (No. 5). The University of Chicago landed at No. 8, up from No. 20 in 2010; Haverford College moved into the No. 7 spot, up from No. 14 last year.

“Unlike other lists, we pointedly ignore ephemeral measures such as school ‘reputation’ and ill-conceived metrics that reward wasteful spending,” said Forbes Executive Editor Michael Noer. “In short, we try and evaluate the college purchase as a consumer world: Is it worth spending as much as a quarter of a million dollars for this degree?”

In related coverage, available online at www.forbes.com/top-colleges and in the August 22, 2011 issue, Forbes introduces eight young student entrepreneurs who launched their businesses while in college, plus Ernestine Fu, Silicon Valley’s youngest entrepreneur. Forbes features a conversation between them and one of the most famous student entrepreneurs of all time: Michael Dell.

Harvard tops Forbes’ related ranking of best business schools, followed by Stanford, Chicago (Booth), Pennsylvania (Wharton) and Columbia, respectively. Online, the report includes a complete ranking of 650 colleges as well as the top international business schools. The Top 10 colleges according to Forbes are:

                   
RANK     NAME/STATE    

TOTAL
ANNUAL COST

   

UNDERGRAD
POPULATION

1     Williams College, MA     $ 54,921     2,085
2     Princeton University, NJ     $ 52,715     5,113
3     United States Military Academy, NY     $ 0     4,621
4     Amherst College, MA     $ 54,322     1,744
5     Stanford University, CA     $ 55,918     6,602
6     Harvard University, MA     $ 53,950     10,257
7     Haverford College, PA     $ 55,632     1,190
8     University of Chicago, IL     $ 57,590     5,114
9     Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA     $ 53,210     4,232
10     United States Air Force Academy, CO     $ 0     4,620

For the complete ranking, methodology, videos, and more, visit: www.forbes.com/top-colleges

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Contacts

Forbes
Debbie Weathers, 212-366-8848
dweathers@forbes.com

Release Summary

Forbes ranks America's Top Colleges

Contacts

Forbes
Debbie Weathers, 212-366-8848
dweathers@forbes.com