After a hiatus in 2020 and reevaluating how it determines rankings, Forbes has recognized New Mexico State University as one of America’s Top Colleges in 2021. NMSU is the highest ranking institution in New Mexico at 313.
Only 600 four-year schools of the nearly 2,700 degree-granting institutions in the country were ranked. For the first time Forbes ranked a public institution No. 1, with the University of California at Berkeley taking the top spot.
According to Forbes, “this year’s ranking more accurately represents the schools that most of America’s college students attend. According to federal data, nearly 80 percent of the nation’s 16 million undergraduates go to public schools.”
The new methodology uses better data on student outcomes. Forbes partnered with higher education consultant Michael Itzkowitz, who developed a federal database called College Scorecard. Previously, Forbes used data from PayScale. The updated methodology is based on alumni salary (20 percent), debt (15 percent), return on investment (15 percent), graduation rate (15 percent), Forbes American Leaders list (15 percent), retention rate (10 percent) and academic success (10 percent).
To read the complete methodology, visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/christiankreznar/2021/09/08/how-we-rank-americas-top-colleges/?sh=6aa94e8443e0.
Additionally, NMSU was named a top tier university on the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges for 2022 National Universities rankings.