Despite facing dramatic budget cuts, the University yet again landed on Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s list for Best Values in Public Colleges 2011.
Kiplinger’s magazine recently ranked the University as 76th best for in-state tuition among the list of 100 public schools, placing it ahead of rival Southeastern Conference universities like the University of Alabama and Auburn University. LSU ranked 79 for out-of-state tuition, besting Alabama, Auburn and the University of Tennessee.
“We’re proud of this ranking, and we know LSU’s tuition is low, but remember, you’re only a bargain if you deliver a quality education,” Chancellor Michael Martin said in an e-mail. “That’s why we’re going to have to come up with creative solutions to counter the budget cuts we’re facing. We must ensure that our quality does not suffer.”
SEC schools that placed ahead of LSU were the University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of South Carolina, University of Arkansas and University of Tennessee, in that order. SEC schools that did not make the list include the University of Kentucky, University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University. Vanderbilt University ranked 18th best for in-state tuition among the list of 100 private colleges.
“With budgets being cut, tuition is going up and there are cutbacks on faculty,” said Christopher Meeks, first-year law student. “It makes me feel good that we remain on the list.”
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked first for in-state tuition for the 10th consecutive year. UNC’s admission rate is the lowest on the annual list, and the students are among the most competitive. In-state tuition is $17,000, which remains close to the average price for public universities — $16,140.
The magazine begins its study with 500 public schools in the nation. To qualify as a best-value school, the magazine determines which schools provide an excellent education while maintaining low financial costs.
Because budget cuts are affecting the entire nation, the magazine factored in who is delivering “an outstanding, affordable education in good times and bad.”
The rankings are based on a wide scale of variables, including student-faculty ratio, admission and retention rate, four-year graduation rate, SAT or ACT scores and total cost of attendance with or without financial aid. The academic quality division carries almost two-thirds of the weight of the final ranking compared to the affordability aspects.
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Contact Claire Caillier at [email protected]
University ranks as best value college
January 16, 2011