The University of North Georgia has been named to the annual Forbes Magazine's "America's Top Colleges" for the second year in a row.
UNG was ranked as number 173 out of public universities, one of five public universities from Georgia on the list. UNG was also ranked 119 among both public and private schools in the south.
The ranking names the top 650 public and private universities, measuring each on on return on investment, impact, leadership and success, and student-consumer experience.
"UNG has emerged as a leading regional university that provides students with an exceptional education built on high quality academics, affordability, a commitment to student success and leadership development," said UNG President Bonita C. Jacobs. "To be named as one of Forbes Top Colleges nationally is a testament to the quality of our faculty and staff and the achievements of our students."
UNG has more than 18,000 students and is one of the state's largest public universities. UNG's five campuses are located across northeast Georgia in Blue Ridge, Cumming, Dahlonega, Gainesville, and Oconee County. UNG offers more than 100 programs of study, including certificates, associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and professional doctoral programs.
"Before you become a college student, you need to think like a graduate. Our goal is to showcase the colleges and universities that deliver the best return on your education investment dollars: low student debt, on-time graduation, quality academics, high earning potential and career success," said Forbes’ Caroline Howard in her release of the America’s Top Colleges 2017 list.
Now in its tenth year, the Forbes Top Colleges ranking methodology focuses on the direct benefits a college or university provides its students. Favoring output over input, Forbes eschews common metrics like acceptance rate, endowment and freshmen SAT scores and instead favors variables like alumni salary, graduation rate and student satisfaction. The ROI-centric logic behind this year’s ranking is no different, but part of the methodology and some of the data sources have been reexamined and revamped to better align this list with what Forbes values most: entrepreneurship, success, impact, and the consumer experience.
The complete list of colleges is available at Forbes’ America’s Top Colleges 2017.
