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Forbes.com has once again cited New College of Florida as one of the nation’s leading undergraduate institutions, this time in its recently-published lists of “The 20 Best Colleges in The South” and “The 10 Best Public Colleges in The South.”  The online report ranked New College No. 9 overall among all public and private colleges in the south and No. 3 among all public colleges and universities in the region.

These top rankings follow on the heels of New College’s No. 5 spot among the top public colleges in America published in Forbes.com’s annual report on “America’s Best Colleges” (August 2009).

In the January 19 report on southern colleges, New College was one of only three public schools to appear on the “Best in the South” list.  “For those unable to handle the sometimes hefty price tag of a private institution, several public colleges fare well, including the College of William and Mary (No. 5), the New College of Florida (No. 9) and the University of Virginia (No. 11),” cited Forbes reporters Christina Ferro and Archana Rajan.

Notably, New College was the only Florida undergraduate institution ranked among the top 20 schools in the South, and one of only two in Florida cited in the top 10 public school category. The University of Florida was No. 10 on that list.

“Choosing a college is one of the biggest decisions a family can make, and often, there’s more to be considered than academic rigor and postgraduate achievement,” stated the report. “Regional factors such as proximity to home, culture and cost of transportation influence college preferences. The size of the school is another important consideration.  Small colleges dominate the Southern ranking; 13 schools in the top 20 have freshman class sizes under 500 students.”  New College has 823 students, of which slightly more than 200 are in their first year.

To determine the best schools in the South, Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP) cut its August 2009 list of “America’s Best Colleges” according to regional divisions used by the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Whereas some college rankings are determined largely by reputation, Forbes’ and CCAP’s rankings emphasize the quality of students that a school graduates, as opposed to the quality of students it admits,” stated the report. To construct the list, the staff at CCAP based 25% of the rankings on student satisfaction with their course instruction; 25% on indicators of postgraduate employment success; 20% on the estimated average four-year student loan debt; 16.67% on the likelihood that students graduate within four years; and 13.33% on student and faculty success in winning nationally and internationally competitive academic and research awards.

New College statistics published in the Southern Rankings included a freshman class size of 222, SAT range of 1220-1400 and a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1.

According to Forbes.com, “Only a few schools can rank near the very top of our list, but if a college appears on the rankings at all, that indicates it provides a high-quality education. According to the U.S. Department of Education, there are more than 4,000 college campuses in the U.S., and the CCAP ranks only the top 15% or so of all undergraduate institutions across the country.”

For more information, visit the Forbes.com website.

Forbes.com Lists of Top Southern Undergraduate Institutes

January 19, 2010

The 10 Best Public Colleges in The South

1.       U.S. Naval Academy
2.       College of William and Mary
3.      New College of Florida
4.       University of Virginia
5.       University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
6.       Virginia Military Institute
7.       St. Mary’s College of Maryland
8.       University of Mary Washington
9.       University of Texas at Austin
10.   University of Florida

The 20 Best Colleges in The South

1.       Centre College
2.       U.S. Naval Academy
3.       Washington and Lee University
4.       Rice University
5.       College of William and Mary
6.       Hampden-Sydney College
7.       Emory University
8.       Davidson College
9.      New College of Florida
10.   Rhodes College
11.   University of Virginia
12.   Salem College
13.   University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
14.   Sweet Briar College
15.   Wofford College
16.   Vanderbilt University
17.   Virginia Military Institute
18.   Hendrix College
19.   Berea College
20.   Transylvania University