Dive Brief:

• Forbes on Wednesday announced its 2014 Top 100 U.S. Colleges list, which sees Williams College taking the top spot.
• The list ranks schools based on educational outcomes, teaching quality, student satisfaction, graduation rates, and student debt levels. Calculations for the list were performed by the Center for College Affordability & Productivity.
• Rounding out the top five positions on the list, in descending order, are Stanford University, Swarthmore College, Princeton University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dive Insight:

Not only are college ranking lists important for schools in their marketing to potential students and faculty recruitment, but they’re good for business for media outlets as well. While the U.S. News & World Report rankings are the most-cited, Forbes and other publications are making inroads. Besides the Forbes Top 100 list, the magazine’s Aug. 18 issue is set to include a complete ranking of 650 colleges alongside more specific lists of top public and private colleges, "best value colleges," and “most entrepreneurial universities."