Evergreen is among U.S. News Media Group's Best Colleges

Rankings of more than 1,400 schools nationwide are available today at www.usnews.com/colleges, and will also be published in the September issue of U.S. News & World Report, on newsstands starting August 31.

Over the past two decades, the U.S. News college rankings, which group schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, has grown as a research tool for students and parents considering higher education opportunities.

The 2011 Best Colleges feature the US News rankings of the Best National Universities and Best National Liberal Arts Colleges. Evergreen was recognized for a strong commitment to teaching by the magazine. It was also among the top tier, best colleges in the West, with only four public colleges ranking higher in a region that ranges from Texas to Washington State. Evergreen's overall ranking in the West was 29th in the Best Regional category for the West.

The 2011 Best Colleges provides an examination of how more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools compare on a set of up to 16 widely accepted indicators of excellence. Among the factors weighed in determining the rankings, key measures of quality are: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving.

For more information about Best Colleges, visit www.usnews.com/colleges.

About The Evergreen State College:

The Evergreen State College is a nationally recognized public liberal arts college known for its distinctive interdisciplinary curriculum, high level of student/faculty engagement and emphasis on putting learning into action.