Forbes Magazine ranked the College of William and Mary 49th on its annual list of top American universities.
That puts the College three spots below the University of Virginia. The College and U. Va. are the highest ranking public schools on the list.
Forbes bases its rankings on the financial worth of a degree from each school and takes into account five categories: post-graduate success (alumni pay and prominence), student satisfaction, student debt, four year graduation rate and competitive awards students receive (such as Rhodes and Fulbright).