![](https://pxl-catawbaedu.terminalfour.net/fit-in/300x300/prod01/channel_2/media/catawba-college/site-assets/images/hedrick-lawn-720X720.webp)
To build the annual college financial grades list, Forbes pulls the latest available financial data from the National Center for Education Statistics during the past fiscal year from these colleges that enroll at least 500 full-time students.
The Forbes College Financial Grades ranking utilizes a methodology that analyzes a number of indicators, including endowment assets, primary reserve ratio, viability ratio, core operating margin, tuition as a percentage of core revenues, return on assets, admissions yield, percentage of freshmen getting grant aid, and instruction expenses per full-time-equivalency.