Catawba is one of only 20 North Carolina public and private institutions included in Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges 2011,” and is ranked 476 among the 650 best undergraduate colleges.
The Forbes’ rankings were prepared by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, a Washington, D.C., think-tank founded by Ohio University economist Richard Vedder. The rankings focus on post graduation success (30 percent) which evaluates pay and prominence of alumni; student satisfaction (27.5 percent) which includes evaluations of professors and retention rates from freshman to sophomore year; debt (17.5 percent) which penalizes schools for high student debt loads and default rates; four-year graduation rate (17.5 percent); and competitive awards (7.5 percent) which rewards schools whose students win prestigious scholarships and fellowships such as the Fulbright, the Rhodes and the Marshall.
“We are pleased to be recognized as one of the premier colleges in the nation,” said Dr. Joseph B. Oxendine, Catawba College president. “This simply reinforces what we have always believed about our institution.”
To view Catawba’s rank on Forbes list, click here.