August 03, 2015
Three Philadelphia-area colleges are among the top 20 institutions of higher education in the country, according to Forbes.
The business magazine released the annual rankings for the nation's 150 top colleges last week. Coming in at number seven on the list is Swarthmore College, a small private institution 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia.
The Forbes description of the liberal arts college says the students are "known for their academic intensity." It also notes Swarthmore's sustainability efforts and the fact that it produces the third-highest amount of Ph.D students in the country.
Coming in at 12th in this years rankings is the University of Pennsylvania. The Ivy League university located in University City was highlighted for its list of prolific alumni, small student-faculty ratio and close relationship to entrepreneurs and investors.
Ranked 19th was Haverford College. The small private college located 8 miles east of Philly was among Forbes' top schools for producing entrepreneurs, and takes an interesting approach to tests based on trust, as students take exams without proctors and schedule them on their own.
The rankings are based on a number of factors, including student satisfaction, student-to-faculty ratios, and amount of financial aid given. Read more on the methodology here. For the full rankings, click here.
