For the first time, Columbia was named one of Forbes magazine’s top accredited, post-secondary institutions in the country.

The college placed 600 out of 618 colleges and universities on the magazine’s 2010 edition of America’s Best Colleges.

“What’s important, as the article itself said, is not where one places in the first 10 or the last 10, it’s that you’re on the list at all,” said Columbia President Warrick L. Carter “It really represents the top 10 percent of all colleges and universities in the country, from Forbes’ perspective. And to be included on a list that talks in terms of student’s perspectives is really what we’re all about.”

Out of 6,600 higher education institutions in the country, Forbes reviewed 9 percent of those in the U.S.

According to the article, a good college meets student’s needs and measures how satisfied students are with their college experience without figuring in traditional methods like test scores.

“I felt like the school itself hasn’t had much prestige in its name because it’s a school you go to just to do what you want to do,” said Nick Narbotas, a junior poetry major. “It’s actually kind of nice to see someone give the school some recognition because it is doing some cool stuff, but it has a long way to go to being a major institution.”

Narbotas said he feels the college should focus on tightening up the LAS Core and challenge students more because it’s a college with liberal admissions.

Above Columbia, other Chicagoland colleges that made the list were the University of Illinois at Chicago, 568; Loyola University, 468; DePaul University, 359; and the University of Chicago placing number 20.

The magazine also used teacher and course ratings from RateMyProfessors.com, stating because university administrators have no control over what is put on the site, the schools themselves couldn’t manipulate the results of the Forbes list.

“I agree completely, this school is awesome. It has everything [I] could possibly want—creative wise,” said Torree Harris, a freshman game design major. “[Columbia students] express individuality and uniqueness, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to make it to the top eventually,” Harris Said, “[Forbes] hasn’t realized our potential yet. Creative people are [continuing to graduate from the college] and do great things, they will come to their senses and it just takes time.”