COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- When it comes to making that big decision of where to attend school, Colorado College is near the top of the list.

The college ranking 29th in Forbes' annual list of America's Top Colleges.

"I have a lot of friends at big public universities, and they have a hard time getting classes and aren't doing one-on-one dinners with their professors," Kelly Varian, a senior at Colorado College, said.

The rankings based on five general categories including: post graduate success, debt and a four-year graduation rate.

Despite the college's top 30 spot, CC officials are not touting their success or putting the information on their website.

"Honestly what I needed in regards of college was not a lot of distractions," Johnny Reed, a senior at Colorado College, said.

CC is letting their numbers do the talking with an 82.9 percent four-year graduation rate and the largest application period ever with 5,500 people applying for 500 spots.

But its popularity hasn't changed their mindset that rankings shouldn't be the deciding factor, just a starting point. The college was ranked 51 on the same list in 2010.

The Air Force Academy was ranked 35th on the list in 2012, which is down from 10th last year and 11th in 2010.