Forbes Ranks Benedictine Among the Country’s Top Colleges Again in 2012

Editor's note: The following is a press release from Benedictine University.

Forbes verified this week what many students, faculty, staff and alumni already knew – is among the top colleges in the country.

For the second straight year, Forbes magazine’s “America’s Top Colleges” lists Benedictine University among the 650 best undergraduate institutions in the United States. The 650 schools ranked by Forbes are culled from nearly 2,800 four-year colleges and universities nationwide.

“Students come here because they know they can get a quality, private liberal arts education that is among the best found anywhere and will prepare them for a successful professional career at a price that is both reasonable and affordable,” said Kari Gibbons, vice president for Enrollment Services at Benedictine.

The Forbes rankings focus on the things that matter most to students, including quality of teaching, career prospects, graduation rates and low levels of debt. It ignores things like school “reputation” and what it calls “ill-conceived metrics that reward wasteful spending.”

The rankings are prepared by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, a Washington, D.C., think tank founded by Ohio University economist Richard Vedder.

In addition to a national ranking of 494 among all colleges and universities – up from 540 a year ago – Benedictine was ranked 347th among private colleges and universities, 183rd among research universities and 116th in the Midwest region.