Georgia Southern University has been named one of America’s Best Colleges by Forbes magazine, whose ranking includes the top 20 percent of colleges and universities based on the “student’s point of view.” The honor is the latest for the growing university that expects to welcome a record 20,000 students to its campus when fall semester classes begin Aug. 22.

The survey was prepared by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP) and was researched using data from the U.S. Department of Education. The rankings vary from other such lists by focusing on the student’s point of view. The CCAP examines post-graduation success, student satisfaction, student debt, four-year graduation rate and competitive awards which rewards schools whose students win prestigious scholarships and fellowships such as the Fulbright, Goldwater and more.

“Georgia Southern’s designation by Forbes magazine as one of America’s Best Colleges is a great indicator that we are moving in the right direction,” said GSU President Brooks Keel, Ph.D.

“We are honored to be recognized as one of the nation’s top universities.”

This past year, the university’s student body included students from 49 U.S. states and from more than 90 countries around the world. In addition to a growing enrollment, the university continues to serve as a growth engine for the state, delivering a record $795.3 million in economic impact on a nine-county region last year.

“Georgia Southern is an incredible success story when you step back and look at the bigger picture,” Keel said. “The university has experienced an unprecedented era of growth and it has parents and prospective students, guidance counselors and even some of our alumni that haven’t been back in a while saying ‘wow.’”