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���˶��� once again secured a spot among the top liberal arts colleges in the nation according to “America’s Best Colleges 2007.” For the second straight year ���˶��� joined six other schools with a ranking of 104.

Only nine other liberal arts colleges in California appear in the highest tier: Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Scripps, Occidental, Pitzer, Thomas Aquinas and Mills Colleges.

���˶��� is just one of two top among the included in the rankings. Wheaton College in Illinois is the other.

U.S. News ranks colleges based on several measures of quality: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, , and graduation rate performance.

The rankings show that ���˶���’s graduation rate has jumped three percent from the previous year. Freshman retention and alumni giving rates have also increased.

New students arrive at ���˶��� for Orientation beginning, Thursday, Aug. 24. The first day of classes is Monday, Aug. 28.