SALISBURY — Catawba College again makes Forbes “America’s Top Colleges” listing, ranked among the 660 best undergraduate institutions in the nation. This is the sixth consecutive year that Catawba has been included in this listing and the ninth year that Forbes has released its “America’s Top Colleges.”

Forbes released its “America’s Top Colleges” rankings on July 6, touting it as a rankings list that sets its sights “directly on ROI: What students are getting out of college?”

Catawba came in at 602 in the 2016 rankings.

Forbes created its top colleges rankings by partnering with the center for college affordability and productivity, a Washington, D.C. think tank. The Forbes math “comes directly from the Department of Education, Payscale and the America’s Leaders list.” The factors used to calculate the rankings fall into five general categories: post graduate success (32.5 percent), which evaluates alumni pay and prominence; student debt (25 percent); student satisfaction (25 percent); four-year graduation rate (7.5 percent) and academic success (10 percent).

For a complete listing of all colleges making the 2016 Forbes “America’s Top Colleges” list visit: http://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliesportelli/2016/07/06/the-full-list-of- americas-top- colleges-2016/#468e208569a4.

It is also the fourth consecutive year Forbes reported that a Catawba College education is well worth its cost — claiming the proof can be seen in the grateful grads who show their gratitude in their alumni giving.

Catawba is one of only four institutions in North Carolina ranked among the top 100 institutions in Forbes Grateful Graduates Index for 2016. In addition to Catawba, which is ranked No. 73, the other four N.C. institutions ranking in the top 100 of the 2016 index include Davidson College (7), Duke University (9) and Wake Forest University (41). The 2016 index ranks the best long-term value, or return-on-investment (ROI) of the top 200 private, not-for profit colleges enrolling more than 1,000 students.

“We are proud to be recognized alongside such outstanding institutions and we know this ranking reflects what we constantly hear from our alumni: that Catawba made a difference in their lives for which they are very grateful,” said Catawba President Brien Lewis.

To determine which colleges provide the best return on investment, Forbes shares that it analyzes “two important variables: private donations and gifts per student over 10 years, as reported to the Department of Education, and the alumni participation rate, or what percentage of its graduates give back in the form of donations to their colleges.”

The first measure Forbes calls “our show-me-the-money measure,” weighted at 75 percent. The second metric, the Alumni Participation Rate is measured by the Council for Aid to Education and is weighted at 25 percent. For the purposes of Forbes ranking, the alumni participation rate over the three most recent years is averaged.

The complete Forbes’ 2016 Grateful Grads Index is available at http://www.forbes.com/sites/schifrin/2016/07/06/2016-grateful-grad-colleges-the-top-200-show-me-the-money-schools/#15ae94773417.