Forbes 2011 ranking of America's Best Colleges
Forbes 2011 ranking of America's Best Colleges - as determined by students, cites Colgate at 37th in the Top 100, behind peers Williams, Amherst, Haverfod, Carelton, Swarthmore, Wellesley, Colby, Washington & Lee, Colorado College, and Wesleyan.
The Forbes rankings are based on five general categories: Post Graduate success (30%), which evaluates alumni pay and prominence, Student Satisfaction (27.5%), which includes professor evaluations and freshman to sophomore year retention rates, Debt (17.5%), which penalizes schools for high student debt loads and default rates, Four Year Graduation Rate (17.5%) and Competitive Awards (7.5%), which rewards schools whose students win prestigious scholarships and fellowships like the Rhodes, the Marshall and the Fulbright.
In addition to the overall rankings, the Center for College Affordability and Productivity also prepares a "value" ranking which takes into account the overall cost of each school as relative to the quality of the education provided.