A number of organizations rank colleges every year; one source that students can use in their research is US News and World Report. A college with a high ranking doesn’t necessarily mean it is best for you overall. You need to consider a number of factors before choosing the college or university that you want to attend.

Who is US News?

US News and World Report (often just shortened to US News) was founded in 1948 with the merger of two magazines founded by newspaper mogul David Lawrence. It’s based out of Washington, D.C., and the magazine recently made the decision to offer monthly subscriptions; previously, they published once a week, but are moving toward promoting their online version more than their print version. US News is a conservative-slanted news magazine, and they are well-known for their annual college rankings.

Why should you trust US News?

This magazine has been publishing college rankings since the mid-1980s, and when the list comes out, the magazine typically sells 50% more copies and the website has millions of viewers. Studies show that they are the most widely-quoted source on the topic of college rankings, and they also publish college-related guides in book format to help students choose the best schools.

What is their Methodology?

US News compiles its rankings based on surveys, which are sent to all schools in the United States. They actually publish a number of different lists, grouping schools into the following categories: National Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Universities – Master’s, Baccalaureate Colleges, and Specialty Schools. The Master’s and Baccalaureate categories are future split by geographical location, and the Specialty category is split into Fine and Performing Arts, Business, and Engineering.

Once the colleges are classified, data from the surveys is gathered to determine a school’s “indicator of academic excellence.” These indicators fall into seven categories:

• Peer Assessment (how well administrators at other schools rate their college)
• Retention (how many freshmen students return and how many graduate within six years)
• Faculty (class size, faculty salary, degrees held by professors, student-to-faculty ratio, and percentage of faculty who are full time)
• Student Selectivity (SAT/ACT scores of students, high school class rankings of students, and acceptance rate)
• Finances (average spending per student on educational resources)
• Graduation Rate Performance (the actual number of students who graduate within six years versus US News’ prediction based for the school based on test scores, scholarships, etc)
• Alumni Giving (percentage of living alumni who have donated money in the past two years)

The final score is weighted, which means that the top school in each category is given a value of 100 and schools rating below it are given values based on how they compare to the top school. Then, the totals are calculated to create the final ranking, with some of the categories being more important than others. For example, Alumni Giving is only worth 5% of the overall score, while student selectivity is worth 15%.

Remember, just because US News ranks a school at the top of its list doesn’t mean that it is right for you. This is just one of the many resources you can use to find the best college for your educational goals and career path.

With the current situation of our job market, employers' demands for individuals with college degrees is higher than ever. Earning a degree from an online college offers the affordability and flexibility that most brick-and-mortar campus-based colleges cannot offer. Below, we present the top onine colleges for 2010.

Top 10 Online Universities

	University of Phoenix — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. Founded in 1976 as a upstart college, today the University of Phoenix is the largest private university in North America with students at over 200 campus locations and online learners studying dozens of programs all over the world.
	Ashford University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. The mission of Asford University is to foster a sense of accessible, flexible, and innovative learning in its student body. Ashford offers accelerated external degree program for adult learners in numerous subjects, including social sciences, criminal justice, technology, business, healthcare, and more.
	Boston University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. Founded in 1839, Boston University is one of the oldest universities in the nation to offer online degree programs. With two main campuses in the city of Boston, dozens of study abroad programs around the world, and an online program available globally, Boston University's presence is second to none.
	Liberty University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Founded in 1971 by Rev. Jerry Falwell, Liberty University is the largest evangelical Christian university in the nation with an enrollment of over 20,000 undergraduate and post-graduate students.
	Walden University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. Walden University has designed all of its online coursework for busy adult professionals who demand affordability and flexibility from their schooling. With degrees offered in several subjects, including healthcare, criminal justice, and business, Walden is sure to be a good fit for most students.
	DeVry University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. With approximately 100 campus locations across North America, DeVry University is one of the more well-known names in the online education industry. Originally founded in 1931, today DeVry offers most of its degree programs online. Subjects of study include business, science, IT, liberal arts, and more.
	Capella University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate. "Knowledge means solving problems no one else can" is the official motto of Capella University. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Capella offers over 1,000 online courses in subject such as legal studies, criminal justice, business, IT, healthcare, education, and more.
	Kaplan University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. The online degree programs offered at Kaplan University are tailored to each student, customized for flexibilty so that students are able to study on their schedule. Kaplan offers more than 100 degrees in subjects ranging from business to criminal justice to nursing and more.
	Strayer University — Degree Levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's. Founded in 1892 as Strayer's Business College, today Strayer University boast an enrollment of over 50,000 students across the United States. Degrees are offered in business, computer technology, education, health administration, criminal justice, and more.
	Grand Canyon University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's and Master's. Frequently cited as one of the top online colleges in the United States, Grand Canyon University was originally founded as Grand Canyon College in 1949. Today, GCU offers dozens of degrees online in subjects such as nursing, healthcare, business, and more.
	Argosy University — Degree Levels: Bachelor's, Master's, and PhDs. Headquartered in Chicago, IL and with over a dozen campus locations nationwide, Argosy University provides accredited online degree programs for busy professionals in subjects including psychology, healthcare, business, and more.
	Westwood College — Degree Levels: Associate's and Bachelor's. Originally established in 1953, Westwood College is composed of 17 campus locations in six states and an online program offered through their Denver North campus. Programs of study offered online include business, criminal justice, fashion merchandising, healthcare, and more.
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