Announcing Best Colleges 2012 Rankings

TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S.News & World Report today released the 2012 edition of Best Colleges. The annual report provides the nation's most trusted rankings of colleges and universities that award undergraduate degrees. It is specifically designed to be straightforward, easy to use, and to supply the information that students need to make informed decisions about their education.

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Colleges has been the indispensible college rankings resource. In addition to its highly sought-after listing of regional colleges and universities, Best Colleges 2012 includes a best value list which ranks schools based on the average cost of attending -- after need-based grants are taken into account -- relative to their academic ranking.

Complementing Best Colleges rankings is U.S. News University Directory. Through an exclusive arrangement with U.S.News & World Report, the Directory provides a concierge service that immediately connects students to traditional and accredited online schools. With the recent addition of a comprehensive Resource Center, the Directory now provides access to daily news briefs covering the latest in higher education news, an extensive college and career video library, and hundreds of original articles.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual income of workers who hold a bachelor's degree is now almost $20,000 more than those who hold only a high school diploma. Over a 40-year working life, that's a difference of more than $700,000 - quite a significant pay increase! And if you hold a degree in an in-demand field like nursing or engineering, your salary may rise even higher.

When you decide that you want to pursue a college degree, USNewsUniversityDirectory.com is your go-to resource. With extensive information, users can really dive into the complicated world of education opportunities and make a highly informed decision on the program, degree, and university that best fits their needs.

To check out U.S.News & World Report's Best Colleges 2012 edition, visit http://www.usnews.com/education.

About the U.S. News Media Group

The U.S. News Media Group is a multi-platform publisher of news and analysis, which includes the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, http://www.usnews.com, and http://www.rankingsandreviews.com. Focusing on Health, Money, Education, Travel, Cars, and Public Service/Opinion, the U.S. News Media Group has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. The U.S. News Media Group's signature franchise includes its News You Can Use® brand of journalism and its "Best" series of consumer guides that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, mutual funds, health plans, and more.

About U.S. News University Connection

U.S. News University Connection's education portal, U.S. News University Directory, provides comprehensive and unbiased information on more than 1,900 academic institutions directly from U.S.News & World Report, the most trusted source for college and university rankings since 1983.

Contact:

Matthew Speer, Director, Sales and Marketing
U.S. News University Connection
(866) 442-6587

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SOURCE U.S. News University Connection