Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP) recently published their second-annual ranking of America's Best Colleges. Six hundred undergraduate institutions were ranked based on factors that directly concern incoming students and their families - the quality of education the school provides, the experience of the students and student achievement during and after graduation.

Given that only 600 colleges were ranked it is important to note these are the top 15% in the nation of over 4,000 colleges in the U.S. and it is no surprise that Houston area colleges made the list. As parents are looking for the best education for their students the Houston area is an excellent place to call home for economic stability, but it also offers a place of great education for area and incoming residents.

CCAP gathered data from a variety of sources to get a full and accurate picture of important components when choosing a college or university. Rankings were based on post-graduate success (25%), student evaluations of courses and instructors from RateMyProfessor.com (25%), estimated average student debt after four years (20%), four year graduation rates (16%), and the number of students and/or faculty (adjusted for enrollment) who have won nationally competitive awards like Rhodes Scholarships or Nobel Prizes (14%).

The University of Houston was ranked at #499 this year with an average of 79% of applicants admitted and a student to faculty ratio of 22:1. This excellent school, the most diverse university in the nation, offers 109 majors and minors along with 128 master’s degrees and 50 doctoral degree options , among which is the Space Architecture Graduate Program – the only program of its kind in the world. They offer the Best Entrepreneurship Program in the nation and the Law Center is one of the top 100 law schools in the U.S. Notable Alumni from this university are Shannon Miller '03, gymnast; Jim Parsons '96, actor, The Big Bang Theory; Kevin Kolb '06, quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles; Crystle Stewart '07, Miss USA 2008.

Here are more outstanding statistics to give a bigger picture:

Public University

Total Cost: $19,017
Freshman class size: 3,797 Total undergrads: 27,602
SAT range: 920-1170
ACT range: 19-24
Percent of applicants admitted: 79%
Student to faculty ratio: 22.0 to 1
Application deadline: 1-Apr
Early admission deadline: NA

For more information please contact: University of Houston
212 East Cullen Building Houston,
TX 77204 (713) 743-1000
www.uh.edu

Ranked #556, Sam Houston State University in Huntsville,TX is close option for Houston area high school graduates. With a total cost of $16,462, and a freshman class size of 2,144 this school offers a great student to teacher ratio of 20:1 and has rolling application deadlines for students interested in applying. This top Houston area school has produced such famous Alumni as Dan Rather, news anchor; Richard Linklater, director; and Keith Davis, football player.

Total cost: $16,462 Freshman class size: 2,144 Total undergrads: 14,303 SAT range: 910-1100 ACT range: 19-23 Percent of applicants admitted: 63% Student to faculty ratio: 20 to 1 Application deadline: Rolling Early admission deadline: NA

For more information please contact Sam Houston State University Box 2418 Huntsville, TX 77341-2418 (936) 294-1828 www.shsu.edu

While it is a commute, Texas A&M University in College Station, TX is a close public university option for those living in Houston as it is only 97 miles away. Ranked at #190 this school was close to the top of the list with an average cost of $19,895 and an incoming freshman class size of 8,093. Notable Alumni include Rick Perry, Governor of Texas; Lyle Lovett, recording artist; and Mike Fossum.

Here are more stats at a glance:

Total Cost: $19,895 Freshman Class size: 8,093 Total undergrads: 38,430 SAT range: 1080-1300 ACT range: 23-29 Percent of applicants admitted: 70% Student to faculty ratio: 19 to 1 Application deadline: 15-Jan Early admission deadline: NA

Contact: PO Box 30014 College Station, TX 77842-3014 (979) 845-3741 www.tamu.edu

While they didn’t make it into the Nation’s top 500 (a hard grade to make) Houston is still home to other outstanding colleges and universities. Here are some other top notch schools and a little bit about each one:

Houston Baptist University www.hbu.edu With over 2,500 students there is an excellent student to faculty ratio of 13:1, and over 79% of the full-time professors hold terminal degrees – offering your college student great minds to think and learn with.

Houston Community College www.hccs.edu This community college prepares college students from a variety of regions: Central, Coleman, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, as well as providing Distance Education to those farther away. There are numerous inexpensive and transferable courses to fulfill each student’s needs.

University of St. Thomas www.stthom.edu This university serves the Hispanic community with an excellent student ratio of 11:1 with 92% of professors holding a terminal degree. A total enrollment of 3,234 ensures your student will get the attention and support they need as they pursue their choice of 31 undergraduate and 10 graduate degree programs, with 65 student organizations to participate in as they advance their education. The average SAT score for students is 1138 and tuition costs $717 per credit hour for undergraduates and $802 per credit hour for graduate students.

Rice University www.rice.edu Copywritten material may be viewed at
http://www.professor.rice.edu/professor/Students4.asp?SnID=25694481

Texas Southern University www.tsu.edu With 9 schools and colleges this university serves over 9,500 students annually and offers more than 80 student organizations for extracurricular student involvement. Thurgood Marshall Law School was named the most diverse law school in the nation three consecutive years in a row and the majority of African-American teachers in HISD and African-American lawyers in Houston are Texas Southern graduates. The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has also historically produced over 27% of all African American pharmacists in the nation. This is a great school that has historical impact and produced top notch graduates.

To find the best school for you based on your own ranking preferences you can visit http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/05/best-colleges-ranking-screener-opinions-colleges-09-tool.html

The Forbes college ranking tools allows you to select what is most important to you in choosing a school, but with the excellent options offered solely in Houston, it will be hard to leave the state.