Knox College is again one of the nation's "Great Schools at Great Prices," according to rankings released this week by U.S. News & World Report.

Knox is ranked 39th among national liberal arts colleges in the category that recognizes schools with top reputations for both academic excellence and affordability. Other colleges in the category include Amherst, Williams, Pomona, Wellesley, Grinnell, Macalester, and Carleton. Knox was also on the Great Schools, Great Prices list last year.

"Knox is again the only liberal arts college in Illinois in this highly selective ranking of colleges," said Paul Steenis, dean of admission and vice president for enrollment. "The 'Great Schools, Great Prices' ranking demonstrates that Knox is among the very best in the nation at making a top-notch liberal arts education accessible for students from all financial backgrounds."

In the overall U.S. News rankings for 2014-2015, Knox is 81st among more than 290 national liberal arts colleges. The rankings evaluated several factors that US news links to educational quality, including details about Knox:

• Personal attention -- more than 75% of classes have fewer than 20 students
• College success for first-year students -- nearly 90% of first-year students return to Knox for their second year
• Strong alumni support -- one third of Knox alumni made gifts to the College last year

"An outstanding liberal arts education is expensive to provide because of the opportunities it makes available to our students -- small classes with real professors, combined with opportunities for in-depth experiences in research, internships, creative projects, and study abroad," Steenis said. "The 'Great Schools' ranking shows that Knox -- and Knox alumni through their gifts to the College -- are committed to providing that education at an affordable price."

Knox is also highly ranked for service to community and the nation by Washington Monthly magazine. The magazine's service-oriented rankings list Knox among the nation's best among liberal arts colleges for its "contribution to the public good" through research, access and community service. Knox also was named a 2015 Sierra Club "Cool School," noted by Forbes on its "Grateful Grad Index" and selected for The Princeton Review's 2015 guidebook The Best 379 Colleges, where the primary factor is "outstanding academics."