News from the Hilltop

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 7, 2009

Birmingham-Southern ranked No. 1 in Alabama in new Forbes/CCAP survey

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Birmingham-Southern College is the top ranked institution of higher learning in the state of Alabama in a new survey released Aug. 6 by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.

Released for the first time in 2008 as an alternative to U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings, Forbes/CCAP ranks colleges and universities based on “the quality of the education they provide, the experience of the students and how much they achieve.”

According to a release issued by the two organizations, the rankings of 600 colleges and universities are based 25 percent on student evaluations of courses and instructors, 25 percent on post-graduate success, 20 percent on estimated average student debt after four years, and the rest on graduation rate and the number of students or faculty who have won nationally competitive awards such as Rhodes Scholarships or Nobel Prizes.