America's Top Colleges: Forbes List

Friday, August 3, 2012

America's Top Colleges: Forbes List

College is outrageously expensive. Four years at an elite, private school like the University of Chicago (#4) or Stanford (#3) costs more than a quarter of a million dollars. A degree from a more affordable state school, like the College of William & Mary (#40) or the University of California, Berkeley (#50), still costs around $100,000, even for “in-state” students, who pay less in tuition.

Is it worth it? For many students, the answer is probably not – unless they are accomplished enough to be accepted by one of the schools ranked near the top of our annual list of America’s 650 Top Colleges.

The rankings, which are compiled exclusively for Forbes by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for College Affordability and Productivity, focus on the things that matter the most to students: quality of teaching, great career prospects, high graduation rates and low-levels of debt. They do not attempt to assess a school’s reputation, nor are they a measure of academic selectivity and we pointedly ignore any metrics that would encourage schools to engage in wasteful spending.

Harvard University, which sits at or near the top of most college rankings, hits No. 6 on Forbes' list of America's Top Colleges.

Princeton University (#1) tops the list again, for the first time since 2008. Williams College (#2) slips into second place, after two consecutive years as top dog. Ivy League schools dominate the top ten, claiming three spots in addition to Princeton: Yale (#5), Harvard (#6) and Columbia (#8); Cornell (#51) was the only Ivy not to crack the elite top 50.

Rounding out the top ten are West Point (#7), whose cadets pay no tuition, although they must serve on active duty in the U.S. Army for at least five years after graduation, Pomona College (#9), one of the seven Claremont Colleges in Southern California and Swarthmore (#10). Excluding service academies, there are five public schools in the top 50, with the University of Virginia (#36) being the highest ranked.

The rankings are based on five general categories: post graduate success (32.5 percent), which evaluates alumni pay and prominence, student satisfaction (27.5 percent), which includes professor evaluations and freshman to sophomore year retention rates, debt (17.5 percent), which penalizes schools for high student debt loads and default rates, four-year graduation rate (11.25 percent) and competitive awards (11.25 percent), which rewards schools whose students win prestigious scholarships and fellowships like the Rhodes, the Marshall and the Fulbright or go on to earn a Ph.D.t

1. Princeton University
Princeton University
Student Population: 7,813
Undergraduate Population: 5,203
Student to Faculty Ratio: 6:01
Total Annual Cost: $53,934
In-State Tuition: $37,865
Out-of-State Tuition: $37,865
Percent on Financial Aid: 60.0%
Percent Admitted: 8.0%
SAT Composite Range: 1410
Rank: #3
Average: 4 stars

Princeton University buildings (Photo credit: readerwalker)

2. Williams College
Williams College
Student Population: 2,126
Undergraduate Population: 2,070
Student to Faculty Ratio: 7:01
Total Annual Cost: $57,141
In-State Tuition: $43,190
Out-of-State Tuition: $43,190
Percent on Financial Aid: 68.0%
Percent Admitted: 19.0%
SAT Composite Range: 1310
Rank: #7
Average: 3 stars

3. Stanford University
Stanford University
Student Population: 19,945
Undergraduate Population: 6,988
Student to Faculty Ratio: 12:01
Total Annual Cost: $57,755
In-State Tuition: $41,564
Out-of-State Tuition: $41,564
Percent on Financial Aid: 72.0%
Percent Admitted: 7.0%
Rank: #4
Average: 3 stars

4. University of Chicago
University of Chicago
Student Population: 14,979
Undergraduate Population: 5,402
Student to Faculty Ratio: 6:01
Total Annual Cost: $59,950
In-State Tuition: $43,780
Out-of-State Tuition: $43,780
Percent on Financial Aid: 70.0%
Percent Admitted: 16.0%
SAT Composite Range: 1400
Rank: #1
Average: 4 stars

5. Yale University
Yale University
Student Population: 11,875
Undergraduate Population: 5,349
Student to Faculty Ratio: 5:01
Total Annual Cost: $58,250
In-State Tuition: $40,500
Out-of-State Tuition: $40,500
Percent on Financial Aid: 66.0%
Percent Admitted: 8.0%
SAT Composite Range: 1410
Rank: #6
Average: 3 stars

6. Harvard University
Harvard University
Student Population: 27,392
Undergraduate Population: 10,305
Student to Faculty Ratio: 7:01
Total Annual Cost: $56,000
In-State Tuitionc: $39,851
Out-of-State Tuition: $39,851
Percent on Financial Aid: 81.0%
Percent Admitted: 6.0%
SAT Composite Range: 1390
Rank: #5
Average: 3 stars

7. United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
Student Population: 4,624
Undergraduate Population: 4,624
Student to Faculty Ratio: 8:01
Total Annual Cost: $0
In-State Tuition: $0
Out-of-State Tuition: $0
Percent on Financial Aid: 0.0%
Percent Admitted: 11.0%
SAT Composite Range: 1150
Rank: #8
Average: 3 stars

8. Columbia University
Columbia University
Student Population: 26,050
Undergraduate Population: 8,127
Student to Faculty Ratio: 6:01
Total Annual Cost: $59,208
In-State Tuition: $45,290
Out-of-State Tuition: $45,290
Percent on Financial Aid: 61.0%
Percent Admitted: 10.0%
SAT Composite Range: 1390
Rank: #2
Average: 3 stars