NWC ranked among best by Forbes.com

Forbes’ America’s Best Colleges 2008 analyzed what it viewed as the top 15 percent of the nation’s colleges and universities, seeking to rank the schools based on the quality of education they provide and how much their students achieve. Forbes worked in conjunction with Dr. Richard Vedder, an economist at Ohio University, and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP).

Forbes and CCAP’s methodology based 25 percent of the ranking on seven million student evaluations of courses and instructors, as recorded on RateMyProfessors.com. Another 25 percent was determined by how many of the school’s alumni, adjusted for enrollment, are listed among the notable people in Who’s Who in America.

The other half of the ranking was 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 Fulbright Grants.