By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic

MIAMI SHORES | Where do students get the most out of college? For three sets of rankings issued recently, Barry University earned high marks.

Barry was named to the Forbes list of America's Top Colleges in terms of student return on investment. This is the third year that the private Catholic school made the list of the best 650 American undergraduate schools.

Forbes rated the schools for return on investment (ROI) in five general categories. The factors, developed by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, include student satisfaction, post-graduate success, student debt, graduation rates and nationally competitive awards.

Besides that list, Barry was cited in two rankings by Affordable Colleges Online.

The university placed fourth among the organization's "Highest ROI Colleges in Florida," a list of 24 colleges where graduates tend to earn more over their lifetimes, on average, than those from other Florida schools. Barry was the highest-rated school in South Florida and the highest-rated religiously affiliated university on the list.

On the third list, also produced by Affordable Colleges Online, Barry University was No. 23 among the "Top 36 Most Affordable Roman Catholic Colleges with High Starting Salaries for Graduates."

To compile the list, AC Online reviewed four-year, fully-accredited, Roman Catholic institutions with average starting salaries for graduates of more than $30,000 per year. The organization estimated that Barry graduates earn an average starting salary of $39,700, making it the highest-ranked school in Florida.

Founded in 1940 by the Adrian Dominican Sisters, Barry University teaches nearly 9,000 students in more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Its nine schools and colleges major in specialties such as law, the arts, social work, podiatric medicine and health sciences.