Magazine ranks UNC 'best value' public university
Jan 9, 2006 : 10:01 pm ET
CHAPEL HILL -- UNC is once again the best value among public universities, according to a national magazine.
UNC has been at the top of Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine's list of best values each of the five times the magazine has conducted a survey on the subject since 1998.
The magazine's February issue, which will be on newsstands today, examined data from 500 public four-year colleges and universities to identify the top 100 schools "that offer the best combination of top-flight academics and affordable costs."
The magazine's article, "Best Values in Public Colleges," said UNC emerged as the magazine's top campus after an analysis that first stressed academic quality, including the percentage of the 2004-05 freshman class scoring 600 or higher on both the verbal and math components of the SAT, admission rates, freshman retention rates, student-faculty ratios and four- and six-year graduation rates.
Then the magazine ranked each school based on cost and financial aid.
Kiplinger's story mentioned UNC's academic quality, admissions process, the Carolina Covenant and financial aid, and successful private fundraising through the Carolina First Campaign.
Kiplinger's called UNC's student costs "well below average." In-state undergraduate students pay about $4,600 in tuition and required fees. Typical room, board and book charges take the total cost to about $12,000.
The Kiplinger 100: Best Values in Public Colleges; Kiplinger's Personal Finance Ranks Schools Offering First-Class Educations at Bargain Prices
1/9/2006 10:01:00 AM
To: National Desk, Education Reporter
Contact: Nicole Matchneer, 212-255-8455 or Nicole@rosengrouppr.com
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 /U.S. Newswire/ -- With tuition skyrocketing and financial aid dwindling, Kiplinger's Personal Finance has once again identified the top 100 values in public
colleges. Using a rigorous quantitative ranking system, the Kiplinger 100 finds schools where students can receive a stellar education without graduating with a mountain of debt.
Public schools come with the manageable average tuition bill of $5,491 per year compared to private colleges' average of $21,235. By offering great financial aid packages and free rides to
students who achieved high SAT scores and high school grade point averages, public colleges are luring top talent away from pricier schools.
The Top 10:
School; Total In-State Cost; Total Out-of-State Cost
- 1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; $12,029; $25,827
- 2. University of Florida; $10,284; $24,412
- 3. University of Virginia; $14,522; $31,442
- 4. College of William and Mary (Va.); $15,045; $30,315
- 5. New College of Florida; $10,628; $26,386
- 6. University of Georgia; $11,804; $24,024
- 7. SUNY at Geneseo; $13,710; $19,970
- 8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; $16,796; $30,882
- 9. Binghamton University (SUNY); $14,740; $21,000
- 10. University of Washington; $13,356; $27,653
UNC-Chapel Hill topped the list each time Kiplinger's Personal Finance surveyed public colleges. The only school on the list that meets 100 percent of students' financial need, UNC has actually beefed up its financial aid offerings since the last survey in 2003.
Selected from a pool of over 500 public four-year colleges and universities, the schools on the Kiplinger list were ranked according to academic quality, cost and financial aid. Public schools that made the top 100 keep costs down through creative financing, such as using funding from lottery tickets, university-branded apparel, and private fundraisers. For more information on rankings, visit http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges
