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Birmingham-Southern College earns high marks in Forbes, Fiske rankings

Birmingham-Southern College earns high marks in Forbes, Fiske rankings

For Immediate Release
Jul. 12, 2016

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--Birmingham-Southern College is one of the nation's best buys for higher education and has one of the highest rates of return on investment, according to two national publications issued this month.

BSC was included in Forbes magazine's 2016 list of colleges and universities with the most "grateful graduates," its measure of alumni success. It was also ranked as a "Best Buy" in the 2017 Fiske Guide to Colleges, one of the oldest and most influential higher education guides.

"These accolades show how Birmingham-Southern stands out among some of the best private colleges in the nation," said BSC President Linda Flaherty-Goldsmith, who officially began as BSC's 15th president this week. "Our students get a hands-on, high-caliber education that gives them the tools they need to succeed no matter their field. It is exciting to see publications like these--along with Fortune 500 employers--recognize the value of the problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication skills that the liberal arts provide."

The college is No. 88 on Forbes' list of 200 schools and the highest ranking school in Alabama. BSC is recognized along with other leading institutions, including Princeton University, Dartmouth College, and Bucknell University.

Forbes' ranking is designed to determine colleges' return on investment. First, the reporters looked at private donations and gifts per student over 10 years--a measure of graduates' financial success. Then they factored in the alumni participation rate over three years.

"The best colleges are the ones that produce successful people who make enough money during their careers to be charitable, and feel compelled to give back to their alma mater," the article wrote.

Birmingham-Southern also ranked as a "Best Buy" in the 2017 Fiske Guide to Colleges, which calls BSC "a good choice for students who want to make a difference in the world."

The guide, which includes only 21 public and 26 private colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., praises the college for generous scholarship support, faculty advising, a welcoming environment, and a wide variety of social programs.

"BSC is now striving to prepare students for all aspects of the modern world with high-tech facilities and a more global curriculum," it wrote.

About Birmingham-Southern College:
Birmingham-Southern College is a four-year, private liberal arts institution in Birmingham, Ala., founded in 1856 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It enrolls about 1,300 students from more than 30 states and 15 foreign countries.