U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges Index.

International College ranks third among comprehensive colleges and

universities in the southern region with the highest proportion of classes

under 20 students. According to the Best Colleges 2003 Index criteria,

comprehensive colleges are institutions that provide an undergraduate

education and offer a range of degree programs. There are 324 comprehensive

colleges in the report, ranked within four regions: North, South, Midwest

and West.

In the 2002 Best Colleges Index, International College ranked third in the

nation among colleges and universities with the highest percentage of

students age 25 and older. It was the only higher learning institution in

the state of Florida to make the list. The two categories for which the

college has been recognized in the 2002 and 2003 editions define what

International College stands for, said college president Terry

McMahan.

"We tell people we are a school that focuses on adults learners and

received recognition for that mission. We aim for smaller class sizes and

have been recognized for that goal as well," McMahan said. "These rankings

validate what we are doing."

The college's goal is to keep class size between 15 and 20 students. To

keep up with growing enrollment, the administration has increased class

offerings to maintain low student/teacher ratios. Nearly every classroom is

utilized everyday at the Naples and Fort Myers campuses. The current

International College undergraduate Naples campus student/teacher ratio is

14.8:1; the undergraduate Fort Myers campus student/teacher ratio is

14.6:1."Most of our students are adults. The techniques used for adult learners

are easier to administer in a smaller class," said Jeanette Brock, executive vice president of academic affairs. "Individuals will seek out

International College, because they want that individual attention and want

to attend a school where they have a teacher they can talk to one-on-one,

rather than attend a school where they are taught in a class of 400

students."

Founded in 1990, International College is accredited by the Commission on

Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award

Associate, Bachelor's and Master's degrees. Degree programs are offered in

13 fields of study in management, business, legal studies, accounting,

healthcare, computer information technology and criminal justice. Class

schedules, academic programs and delivery methods are designed for the

working adult.