Indiana State University Newsroom

Two widely followed annual lists of the top national and regional colleges are out and Indiana State University is once again included in both.

Forbes magazine has recognized Indiana State on its annual list of America's Top Colleges for the fifth year in a row while Princeton Review's list of Best Midwestern Colleges recognized Indiana State for the 12 straight year.

Only about 20 percent of the nation's accredited colleges and universities make the Forbes list, which emphasizes the return students and parents receive from their investment in a college degree, while the Princeton Review bases its list largely on student surveys.

"As we prepare to welcome new and returning students for another academic year, recognition by Forbes and the Princeton Review can reassure families they've made a good decision in selecting Indiana State," said university President Dan Bradley. "Each year, we make progress on a variety of fronts - improving our curriculum, upgrading facilities and refining programs that help students succeed while maintaining affordability. We are pleased to once again see independent verification of this progress."

In producing its list of the nation's top colleges, Forbes partners with the Washington, D.C.-based Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP) for America's Top Colleges. The publication says its list, developed in partnership with the Washington, D.C.-based Center for College Affordability and Productivity, emphasizing output over input.

"Our focus is on just one measurement: outcomes. From low student debt and high graduation rates to student satisfaction and career success, these outstanding institutions are worth it," Forbes said in releasing its America's Top Colleges list.

This year's list is based on four primary criteria: post-graduate success, followed by the amount of student debt upon graduation, student satisfaction and graduation rates.

"Again this year, receiving national recognition from a respected business publication like Forbes, validates that which we already know -- that we are among the best postsecondary institutions in the country," said John Beacon, senior vice president for enrollment management, marketing and communications. "This fall will mark the sixth consecutive year that we have enrolled the largest freshmen classes in our 150-year history."

In including Indiana State on its list of 159 Best Midwestern Colleges - a 12-state region stretching from the Dakotas to Ohio - the Princeton Review said students chose ISU because of affordability but find "plenty more to love," including caring professors and an emphasis on academics and school pride.

"Within students' concentrations, the major specific professors are wonderful and students find that professors don't just lecture, they provide students with hands-on opportunities and individualized personal instruction," the educational tutoring and test preparation firm said. "In concert with the unpretentious Midwestern setting, ISU undergraduates are down to earth and accepting of everyone as well as motivated and eager to learn."

The Princeton Review said students it surveyed value Indiana State's diversity, not only in terms of race and ethnicity but for its large number of first-generation students and those from different socio-economic backgrounds.

Princeton Review has also recognized Indiana State among the nation's "mostgreen" colleges for the past three years and has included the MBA program in the Scott College of Business among the nation's best for 10 straight years.

Media contact and writer: Dave Taylor, media relations director, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3743 or dave.taylor@indstate.edu