UC Berkeley ranked #1 college in US by Forbes

UC Berkeley ranks No.1 on Forbes List of America's Top Colleges

The criteria for Forbes annual list now considers outcomes of low-income students and adds a federal database of graduate earnings. Harvard dropped from 1 to 7, and Stanford was ranked #4.

BERKELEY, Calif. - UC Berkeley is the first public university to be ranked first on Forbes' list of America's top colleges.

Forbes changed the criteria for its annual by considering outcomes of low-income students and adding a federal database of graduate earnings.

Cal acknowledged the distinction that catapulted it past Ivy League universities by quoting from the Forbes article.

"The University of California at Berkeley has it all: World-class academics, great sports, a stunning Bay Area setting, reasonable costs and a storied history," Cal tweeted.

Harvard, which used to hold the top spot, dropped to seventh. Stanford came in fourth on the list.

Just last month UC Berkeley’s governing board announced approval of the largest gift in the university's history— a $300-million, 14-story dormitory building.

The "Anchor House" will house 772 students and help them "thrive academically, socially, and culturally," according to the project's homepage.