By: Christopher Denhart

Ever wonder how to improve in the FORBESAmerica’s Best Colleges list? The America’s Best Colleges list is output-oriented, not input, making it impossible to game. There are four schools in the top 200 that have been rising since we first started ranking schools in 2009. What is the secret to University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, University of Vermont, Elon University, and St. Louis University’s success?

For University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, which ranked 543rd in 2009 and now ranks 108th, it is the production of high-quality graduates who become leaders. Minnesota alumni include John Hammergren, CEO of McKesson Corporation, Mark Thierer, CEO of Catamaran, and Diana Murphy, the Circuit Judge of the US Court of Appeals’ Eighth Circuit. Minnesota also has a high retention rate, low debt burden, and high graduate salaries which sustain a strong environment for preparing students for their post-college lives.

The top ten colleges that have been rising up and up since 2009.

The top ten colleges that have been rising up and up since 2009.

University of Vermont continues to float toward the top for many reasons. Up 230 positions, from 370th in 2009 to 140th this year, UVM (which stands foruniversitas viridis montis, or University of the Green Mountains) posts a high graduation rate, and students borrow much less that we expect. In fact, UVM is in the top 6% of all our 650 in both of these categories in our component ranking. Additionally, student debt default rate and overall debt burden rank highly.  Like Minnesota, many University of Vermont graduates, like Diana Greene, a member of the Board of Directors of Google, or Liz Paley, Senior VP of Ralph Lauren, become leaders in American business. UVM exceed our expectations by keeping debt loads low while remaining dedicated to graduating students in four years.