August 7, 2012 – King’s College has been placed on an exclusive list of “Best American Colleges” compiled for “Forbes” magazine by The Center for College Affordability and Productivity based on multiple factors related toaffordability and student and faculty achievement.
King’s ranking improved from 489 to 447 of 650 institutions in the annual rankings. King’s was also ranked 319 in the exclusive list of Private Colleges.
Less than 15 percent of the nearly 4,400 colleges and universities nationwide are included in Forbes fourth annual ranking of America’s Best Colleges. King’s was the only Luzerne County college or university included in the list and one of only two institutions (University of Scranton) in northeastern Pennsylvania. Both have been named to the list every year of its existence.
“We take great pride in the education we provide at King’s,” said Father Jack Ryan, C.S.C., president of King’s. “To be consistently ranked among the top educational institutions is an external validation of a notion we have long believed on campus: King’s College provides an affordable liberal arts education that prepares students for meaningful post-graduate life.”
According to Forbes, the selection to the list is based on post-graduate success, which evaluates alumni pay and prominence; student satisfaction, which includes professor evaluations and freshman to sophomore year retention rates; debt, which penalizes schools for high student debt loads and default rates; four-year graduation rate; and competitive awards, which rewards schools whose students win prestigious scholarships and fellowships like the Rhodes, the Marshall, and the Fulbright or go on to earn a doctorate.
King’s 2012 graduates Michael Deegan and Christine Guarino recently were awarded prestigious Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach English for 10-months in a European country beginning in September.
The Center for College Affordability and Productivity, based in Washington, D.C., is dedicated to research on the issues of rising costs and efficiency in higher education.
King's College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross.
For Immediate Release
Further Information: Contact Joseph Giomboni
Public Relations Office, (570) 208-5958