New Rankings from U.S. News & World Report, Forbes.com Rate New College of Florida among Nation’s Top 5 Public Liberal Arts Colleges
U.S News & World Report’s annual rankings of U.S. colleges and universities was released on Friday, and for the second time in a week Sarasota-based New College of Florida has been selected among the nation’s best liberal arts colleges.
U.S. News & World Report’s 2009 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” rated New College as the nation’s #5 ranked Public Liberal Arts College and #94 among All Public and Private Liberal Arts Colleges in the country. This marked the fourth straight year that New College has been rated among the nation’s Top Five Public Liberal Arts Colleges by U.S. News & World Report.
Friday’s ranking culminates a noteworthy week for New College. Earlier in the week, the editors of Forbes.com rated New College #3 in the nation among all Public Colleges and Universities and #29 overall among all Public and Private Colleges and Universities. They also ranked New College #1 among all Public and Private Colleges and Universities within the State of Florida.
While both U.S. News & World Report and Forbes.com look at criteria like four-year graduation rates and student indebtedness at graduation (the lower the debt the better) as part of their quality indicators, there are differences in the methodology between the two rankings’ competitors. For instance, U.S. News & World Report, long the benchmark of the college rankings’ game, places substantial weight on factors such as selectivity, endowment and alumni giving, and peer assessment — all of which have made it a target for critics who complain that the magazine’s methodology gives an unfair advantage to older, better-known and more established institutions.
On the other hand, newcomer Forbes.com bases a substantial portion of its rankings on student feedback generated through websites like RateMyProfessor.com and the number of students or faculty, adjusted for enrollment, who have won nationally competitive awards like Rhodes Scholarships or Nobel Prizes.
Here is a look at the latest rankings of Public Colleges and Universities from U.S. News & World Report and Forbes.com.
U.S. News & World Report
Top Five Public Liberal Arts Colleges for 2009
- U.S. Military Academy (NY)
- U.S. Naval Academy (MD)
- Virginia Military Institute
- St. Mary’s College of Maryland
- New College of Florida
Forbes.com
Top Five Public Colleges and Universities for 2009
- U.S. Military Academy (NY)
- U.S. Air Force Academy (CO)
- New College of Florida
- U.S. Naval Academy (MD)
- University of Virginia
For more information on New College of Florida and its rankings in U.S. News & World Report and Forbes.com, please contact the Office of Public Affairs at (941) 487-4150 or email [email protected].