For the third consecutive year, Forbes reports that a Catawba College education is well worth its cost, and Forbes claims the proof of that is in the alumni giving.

Catawba is one of only six institutions in North Carolina making Forbes’ Grateful Graduates Index 2015. The index ranks the best long-term value, or return-on-investment of the top 150 private, not-for profit colleges enrolling more than 1,000 students.

In addition to Catawba, other institutions in North Carolina making the 2015 index include Davidson College, ranked seventh; Duke University, ranked 13^th; Wake Forest University, ranked 45^th; Catawba College, ranked 92^nd; Queens University, ranked 107^th; and Salem College, ranked 132^nd. Catawba was also among institutions included in Forbes’ index in 2013 and 2014, while Queens and Salem are new additions to the list this year.

To determine which colleges provide the best return on investment, Forbes shares that it has “a simple alternative ROI (return on investment) measure called the Grateful Graduates Index which ranks colleges by the median amount of private donations per student over a 10-year period.” The online Forbes’ Index provides “prospective students and parents a quantifiable measure of colleges worth.”

According to Forbes, “the idea is that the best colleges are the ones that produce successful people who make enough money during their careers to be charitable, and feel compelled to give back to their alma mater. In many ways the private not-for-profit college business model is all about admitting and producing the best crop of future donors.

“In order to level the playing field for colleges that produce lots of grateful grads in lower paying fields like education, academia or government service, we also factor in 3-year alumni participation rates, which show the percentage of alumni who donate each year regardless of the amount. In other words, we let alumni dollars and devotion determine successful outcomes.”

Catawba’s 10-year median for private donations, according to Forbes’ Grateful Grads Index, was $7,242, with its average alumni participation rate of 17 percent.

Catawba ranked among “America’s Top Colleges” by Forbes for fifth consecutive year

Catawba College is again included in Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges” list, ranked 571 among the 650 best undergraduate institutions in the nation – up 28 positions from its 599^th position in this rankings list in 2014. Catawba is one of only 20 North Carolina public and private institutions included in this annual listing.

Forbes’ released its “America’s Top Colleges” listing on July 29, touting it as a ranking list that “counts what matters.” An online video regarding the rankings on the Forbes’ website proclaims: “We ignore the abstract (reputation) and wasteful (spending-per-student) to focus on one measurement: outcome.”Forbes created its Top Colleges rankings by partnering with the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, a Washington, D.C. think tank. The rankings are based on five categories: student satisfaction (25 percent); post graduate success (32.5 percent), which evaluates alumni pay and prominence; student debt (25 percent); four-year graduation rate (7.5 percent); and academic success (10 percent).

For a complete listing of all colleges making the 2015 Forbes’ list visit: http://www.forbes.com/colleges.