The University of Wyoming is again listed as among "America's Best Public Colleges" in rankings released last week by Forbes.com.
In 2010, UW ranks 223rd among the 610 schools included.
These results are different from last year's because Forbes.com has changed its methodology to eliminate faculty awards, among other things, and now includes data on alumni who are either CEOs or on the board of directors of America's leading companies.
In 2009, UW ranked 17th overall and fifth in America's Best College Buys.
"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," according to the Forbes' announcement. "We review just 9 percent of the 6,600 accredited postsecondary institutions in the United States, so appearing on our list at all is an indication that a school meets a high standard."
The Forbes ranking is "designed to meet the needs of undergraduate students." It attempts to help them evaluate what many believe are important criteria when selecting a college. Forbes has developed a system with various rankings within five major criteria: Student satisfaction; postgraduate success; student debt; four-year graduation rate; and competitive awards.
The rankings are objectively determined, with the only subjective judgments being those of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity and Forbes as to which factors to include and the weights to be used in evaluating each factor.
The institutions of higher education in the ranking are schools that award undergraduate degrees or certificates requiring "four or more years" of study, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Only those schools categorized by the Carnegie Foundation as doctorate-granting universities, master's colleges and universities or baccalaureate colleges are included.
The complete America's Best College Buys list can be found at http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/94/best-colleges-10_Americas-Best-Colleges_Rank.html
Forbes is the second publication in recent weeks to rank UW among the nation's top colleges. The Princeton Review listed UW in its annual college guide, "The Best 373 Colleges." Only about 15 percent of the country's four-year colleges are profiled in the annual college guide.
Forbes.com is the online home for all of Forbes print magazines (Forbes, Forbes Global and Forbes FYI), providing original reporting on business, technology, investing and lifestyle, as well as real-time business information news updates.
