September 03, 2024

Susquehanna University continues its ascent in Forbes’ annual ranking of the nation’s best colleges that offer exceptional educational, financial and career outcomes for their students.

Forbes’ ranking of America’s Top Colleges begins with a selection of more than 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities that educate undergraduates, categorized by their Carnegie Classification — a framework in higher education that sorts institutions based on the types of degrees they offer, their research output and areas of specialization. From there, Forbes identifies the top 500 schools to rank according to data drawn from several sources: the College Scorecard and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, both federal databases tracking student outcomes and institutional characteristics; PayScale, a salary reporting and comparison platform; Third Way, the developer of the Price-to-Earnings Premium; and the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.

Forbes weighs this data in seven general categories: alumni salary (20%); student debt (15%); return on investment (15%); graduation rate (15%); Forbes American Leaders List (15%); retention rate (10%); and academic success (10%).

Susquehanna rose more than 100 spots since its ranking last year, coming in at No. 308.

Forbes specifically made note of Susquehanna’s emphasis on experiential learning, the Global Opportunities study-abroad program and campus life. Susquehanna also ranked on the following Forbes lists:

• No. 67 among liberal arts universities
• No. 107 in the northeast
• No. 165 among private colleges

For the list of colleges and a detailed methodology, go here.