The Forbes ranking of undergraduate colleges is based on a combination of data, including quality of teaching, graduation rates, and student debt levels. It was produced by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.

 

Eight North Carolina universities made the list. In addition to UNC Asheville, they are UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Appalachian State University, UNC Wilmington, East Carolina University, UNC Greensboro, and UNC Charlotte.

 

The Forbes ranking comes in the wake of several other top honors for UNC-Asheville. Earlier this year, the Princeton Review rated UNC Asheville as a "Best Value" public college. The "Fiske Guide to Colleges" named UNC Asheville's Environmental Studies Program to its list of pre-professional programs with unusual strength in career preparation.

 

In January, Kiplinger Personal Finance ranked UNC Asheville as one of the nation's 50 best values in public colleges. Last fall, U.S. News & World Report ranked UNC Asheville eighth in the nation among Public Liberal Arts Colleges.