20 Virginia, DC Schools Make Forbes Top Colleges 2019 List

WASHINGTON, DC — New college rankings from Forbes magazine names 650 schools, including 20 in Virginia and the District of Columbia that it says are the best in the country. Four Virginia and DC schools cracked the top 50 on Forbes' "America's Top Colleges List" for 2019. The list looks at what institutions give back to students for the money they spend on a college education.

Names like Harvard, Stanford and Yale predictably topped Forbes’ list. The magazine says that whether a school ranks among the top 10 or is closer to the bottom, the institutions “count as the best in the country.” Forbes’ annual rankings looks at colleges that “deliver the top academics, career success and lowest debt.”

Here’s how Virginia colleges were ranked on Forbes’ list:

• University of Virginia, No. 33
• Washington and Lee University, No. 42
• College of William & Mary, No. 47
• University of Richmond, No. 83
• Virginia Tech, No. 108
• James Madison University, No. 136
• George Mason University, No. 177
• University of Mary Washington, No. 204
• Virginia Military Institute, No. 205
• Christopher Newport University, No. 267
• Hampden-Sydney College, No. 314
• Virginia Commonwealth University, No. 345
• West Virginia University, No. 454
• Roanoke College, No. 465
• Old Dominion University, No. 523

Here’s how District of Columbia colleges were ranked on Forbes’ list:

• Georgetown University, No. 15
• George Washington University, No. 78
• American University, No. 126
• The Catholic University of America, No. 283
• Howard University, No. 388

The top 10 colleges on Forbes’ list are:

1. Harvard University
2. Stanford University
3. Yale University
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
5. Princeton University
6. University of Pennsylvania
7. Brown University
8. California Institute of Technology
9. Duke University
10. Dartmouth College

"When it comes to the question everyone seems to be asking, 'Is college worth it?,' we emphatically say yes," the editors at Forbes wrote. "With an asterisk. That’s the mission of this college ranking, our annual review of the undergraduate institutions that deliver the top academics, best experiences, career success and lowest debt. Whether a school is in the Top 10 or near the bottom of the list, these 650 count as the best in the country."

SEE ALSO:

• 11 Virginia Public Colleges Ranked Among Best In The U.S.
• U.S. News Best Colleges: See Virginia, DC Schools On 2019 List

The methodology behind the rankings looks at five categories: alumni salary, student satisfaction, debt, on-time graduation rate and academic success. (Read more about Forbes’ methodology)