Duke was ranked 22nd when Forbes released its eighth annual rankings of the country's top colleges last week, rising one spot since 2014.
The University is ranked as the top southern school and 13th among research universities. Pomona College, Williams College, Stanford University, Princeton University and Yale University top the list.
Forbes' rankings are based on data collected by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity in Washington. The CCAP uses 12 factors to measure what students get out of various colleges, and group the factors into five categories—student satisfaction, post-graduate success, student debt, graduation rate and academic success.
Post-graduate success is the highest weighted category, followed by student satisfaction and student debt. As part of this year's evaluation of student satisfaction, Forbes became the first ranking to use social media, using a Facebook survey to gauge responses.
Although Duke is used to being much higher on other "best colleges" lists — the University was ranked eighth among national universities last fall by US News & World Report — it has risen considerably in Forbes' rankings since 2009, when it was ranked 104th.
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