Updated: Monday, August 24th, 2009

For students interested in undergraduate certificate associate or bachelor degree programs, the U.S. News Media Group has released the 2010 edition of America's Best Colleges which can be found in the September issue of the U.S. News & World Report magazine.

Among more than 1,400 institutions, Harvard and Princeton tie the top of the list for Best National Universities. They also have some of the best-ranked business programs in the country.

The annually compiled resource helps prospective students make the many decisions associated with the college application and admissions process, including financing options.

In fact, the magazine's editor Brian Kelly stresses this year's ranking reflects the recessionary reality where some financing options may be more difficult to obtain.

"The recession has seriously challenged the traditional model of paying for college, so we've developed ranking and editorial content to address the many ways to finance an education as well as information on how to get the most out of such a big investment," he says.

Experts say paying for college is still possible for those who use the right resources to research the various grants and scholarships that are available.

Studies show that salaries of those who graduate from a bachelors program consistently surpass the earnings of those without higher education.

According to the Census Bureau, the average earnings for men with high school education were $42,466 in 2007, while those with bachelors degrees earned $88,843.

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