For the second year in a row, the University of North Georgia (UNG) was named one of the nation's top higher education institutions by Forbes Magazine in its annual "America’s Top Colleges" ranking. UNG is one of only five public universities in Georgia to be included.

"UNG has emerged as a leading regional university that provides students with an exceptional education built on high quality academics, affordability, a commitment to student success and leadership development," said UNG President Bonita C. Jacobs. "To be named as one of Forbes Top Colleges nationally is a testament to the quality of our faculty and staff and the achievements of our students."

The ranking is a list of the nation's top 650 public and private universities as measured by superior return on investment; high impact, leadership and success; and a first-rate student-consumer experience that the return students receive on their investment.

UNG is ranked number 173 among all public universities on the list and number 119 among both public and private universities in the south.

"Before you become a college student, you need to think like a graduate. Our goal is to showcase the colleges and universities that deliver the best return on your education investment dollars: low student debt, on-time graduation, quality academics, high earning potential and career success," said Forbes’ Caroline Howard in her release of the America’s Top Colleges 2017 list.

Now in its tenth year, the Forbes Top Colleges ranking methodology focuses on the direct benefits a college or university provides its students. Favoring output over input, Forbes eschews common metrics like acceptance rate, endowment and freshmen SAT scores and instead favors variables like alumni salary, graduation rate and student satisfaction. The ROI-centric logic behind this year’s ranking is no different, but part of the methodology and some of the data sources have been reexamined and revamped to better align this list with what Forbes values most: entrepreneurship, success, impact, and the consumer experience.

UNG has more than 18,000 students and is one of the state's largest public universities. UNG's five campuses are located across northeast Georgia in Blue Ridge, Cumming, Dahlonega, Gainesville, and Oconee County. UNG offers more than 100 programs of study, including certificates, associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and professional doctoral programs.

The complete list of colleges is available at Forbes’ America’s Top Colleges 2017.