For the second consecutive year, Claflin University is the top ranked Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the nation, according to Forbes.com.

In its 2009 rankings, which also lists Claflin as one of America’s Best College Buys, Claflin is ranked 233 out of 600 of the nation’s colleges and universities in the second annual rankings of America’s Best Colleges, compiled by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.

“To our way of thinking, a good college is one that meets student needs,” the rankings state. “While some college rankings are based partly on school reputation as evaluated by college administrators and on the amount of money spent, we focus on things which directly concern incoming students: Will my courses be interesting and rewarding? Will I get a good job after I graduate? Is it likely I will graduate in four years? Will I incur a ton of debt getting my degree?”

To answer these questions, the staff at CCAP gathered data from a variety of sources. They based 25 percent of the rankings on four million student evaluations of courses and instructors, as recorded on the website RateMyProfessors.com. Another 25 percent is based on post-graduate success, equally determined by enrollment-adjusted entries in Who's Who in America, and by a new metric, the average salaries of graduates reported by Payscale.com.

An additional 20 percent is based on the estimated average student debt after four years. One-sixth of the rankings are based on four-year college graduation rates--half of that is the actual graduation rate, the other half the gap between the average rate and a predicted rate based on characteristics of the school. The last component is based on the number of students or faculty, adjusted for enrollment, who have won nationally competitive awards like Rhodes Scholarships or Nobel Prizes.

“As always, we are pleased to be ranked among the best colleges and universities in the nation,” said Dr. Henry N. Tisdale, president of Claflin University. “These rankings recognize what we strive for in educational excellence.”

Claflin has received numerous accolades, including being ranked "One of America’s Best Colleges" for the past 11 years in U.S. News and World Report. Consumers Digest cited Claflin as the third “Best Value” among top private colleges and universities nationally and Claflin came to the attention of the Chronicle of Higher Education which ranked the University number two for retention rate among “Very Selective HBCUs.”The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education also ranked Claflin number two for its graduation rate.