Forbes: Auburn is the best college in Alabama

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February 24, 2016

Auburn University's Samford Hall — Auburn University’s Samford Hall

Forbes has released its list of the best colleges in each state and Auburn University has been named the best college in Alabama.

In its list, Forbes highlighted Auburn’s Greek system, athletics, and friendliness, specifically mentioning Hey Day.

Auburn is one of only three SEC schools to be named as the best college in its state. The other two are the University of Florida and Vanderbilt University. In Forbes’ full list of the 650 top colleges in the US, Auburn is ranked 218th. Forbes also ranked Auburn as the 100th best research university and the 43rd best university in the South.

The full rankings of colleges in Alabama are:

Forbes’ “Recipe for a Top College” includes a number of criteria. The top schools on their list have highly satisfied students, with a 95% or higher retention rate. The best schools have a low student-to-faculty ratio, and almost all their students graduate in four years. Forbes also determined that the best schools grant an above average amount of financial aid and a very low number of their students take out loans. Interestingly, all of the top ten schools on their list are located on the East or West Coast. The top ten schools were also all founded in the 1600-1800s. The top schools on the list also boast a low acceptance rate.

The number one school on Forbes’ list this year was Pomona College in Claremont, California.

According to an annual survey by American Freshman: National Norms, 57% of high school students choose a college or university 100 miles or less from their homes, and almost 75% of students end up choosing in-state schools.