Forbes.com Names New College one of America’s Best Colleges for 2010

(September 2010) For the third consecutive year, Forbes.com has ranked New College of Florida among the top colleges in the country.

In its recently-issued 2010 annual report on America’s Best Colleges, New College was listed as the No. 15 best public college in America among over 600 undergraduate institutions (public and private) selected on the quality of the education they provide, the experiences of the students and how much they achieve. New College was the only public college in Florida to appear among the top 15.

In the area of value, New College once again ranked exceptionally high, making the Forbes.com Top 10 list of “Best College Buys.” New College was ranked No. 10 among all all public and private colleges – a list that included five service academies (e.g., U.S. Military Academy) and three unique schools (Cooper Union, College of the Ozarks and Berea College), each of which has special aid programs that lead to effectively tuition-free education for all students.

New College was one of only two Florida institutions to appear on the Top 10 Best College Buy list. The University of Florida was No. 9.  Florida State University was ranked No. 12 and the University of Central Florida, No. 22.

 “In the last 20 years tuition and fees at America’s four-year institutions have exploded, growing 91% beyond the rate of inflation,” stated Forbes. “This is of great concern to many college students and their parents: In tough economic times, it is difficult to justify assuming large debts for college when the future payoff is uncertain. Knowing where you can get the most quality for each tuition dollar spent can help–and that’s the goal of our second annual list of Best Buy Colleges and Universities.”

New College is consistently ranked one of the best values in America by such entities as Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and The Princeton Review, which recently released its 2011 report announcing that New College was the No. 3 best value among 373 best colleges and universities.

This is the third year that Forbes.com and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity have compiled a list of top colleges. “Whether they’re in the top 10 or near the end of the list, all 610 schools in this ranking count among the best in the country,” stated Forbes. “We review just nine percent of the 6,600 accredited postsecondary institutions in the U.S., so appearing on our list at all is an indication that a school meets a high standard.” On the overall list of public and private colleges, New College was ranked No. 120.

The college rankings used five general categories, with several components within each general category. The categories include student satisfaction, postgraduate success, student debt, four-year graduation rate and competitive awards.

Forbes.com

America’s Best Public Colleges 2010

(Extrapolated from overall list of top public and private colleges) 

 Forbes.com

America’s Best College Buys 2010