FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                            RELEASE NO. 71-09

FORBES RANKS WEST POINT TOP COLLEGE – Aug. 5, 2009

WEST POINT, N.Y. - A report released today by Forbes ranked West Point, The U.S. Military Academy, the top college in the country in their America’s Best College report.  

“Marked by an intense work ethic and drive to succeed on all fronts, the West Point undergraduate experience also allows graduates to leave without a penny of tuition loans to repay,” Forbes stated in their release.

The Center for College Affordability and Productivity staff gathered data from a variety of sources basing 25 percent of the rankings on seven million student evaluations of courses and instructors, as recorded on the Web site RateMyProfessors.com.  Another 25 percent depends on how many of the school's alumni, adjusted for enrollment, were listed among the notable people in Who's Who in America.

The other half of the ranking were based equally on three factors; the average amount of student debt at graduation held by those who borrowed; the percentage of students graduating in four years; and the number of students or faculty, adjusted for enrollment, who have won nationally competitive awards like Rhodes Scholarships or Nobel Prizes.

About West Point
West Point, The U.S. Military Academy, is a four-year co-educational federal undergraduate liberal arts college located 50 miles north of New York City. The world's preeminent leader development institution, it was founded in 1802 as America's first college of engineering. Its mission remains constant-to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army. For more information, go to www.westpoint.edu