Catawba College has been ranked No. 67 among 1,325 colleges nationwide in Most Focused for Education by College Factual (www.collegefactual.com), a trusted resource that uses customizable tools and outcomes-based rankings systems to guide students through the college selection process.

A number of factors were used to determine these rankings, including how well the institution retains and graduates students, the average loan debt per student, the boost in expected earnings, the percentage of full-time teachers, and the average student loan default rate.

In addition to Catawba College’s placement in Most Focused for Education, the institution also scored well in Most Focused for Parks, Recreation, Leisure, and Fitness Studies, earning a No. 70 spot out of 847. Both of these reflect the institution’s high quality of education as compared to other schools on the list, which includes both research universities and liberal arts colleges.

You can view all of Catawba College’s rankings here: http://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/catawba-college/rankings/badges/

“We publish a variety of college rankings to get students and parents focused on key factors they need to consider when choosing a school,” says Bill Phelan, CEO of College Factual. “How long will it take you to graduate? Four or six years? What will your expected earnings be, and how does that compare? What’s the risk of student loan default? These are tough questions any prospective student should be asking, and we highlight these factors throughout our ranking process.”

With a focus on providing sought-after data and decision-making tools, College Factual puts the college rankings process in the hands of students and parents and not those of institutions or national publications.

College Factual’s ranking system is based on a series of algorithms that include information from the Department of Education, nationally mandated data reporting for institutions, and Payscale.

For more information about College Factual’s rankings, visit www.collegefactual.com or contact media@collegefactual.com.