Tuition hikes across the nation come at a difficult time with respect to the country’s economy, but according to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, LSU gives students a strong education at a good value compared to other schools.
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranked LSU one of the top 100 best values in public colleges in the magazine’s November issue.
The magazine ranked LSU 38th among more than 500 public four-year colleges in the United States that provide the best value for their in-state students. LSU also ranked 32nd on the list for out-of-state values.
The Kiplinger’s article said the top 100 schools “give students the best bang for the buck.”
Ole Miss, Florida State University and the University of Alabama are a few of the schools that LSU beat out in the magazine’s rankings.
However, LSU trailed several schools in the rankings. Georgia came in 4th, Florida came in 5th and Auburn placed at 26th, among others.
Whether or not rankings have any effect on prospective students is debatable.
Andy Benoit, director of Recruiting Services, said his office does not list the position of LSU in national rankings when it gives presentations to prospective students unless it is asked to do so.
“Some students pay attention to the rankings, some don’t,” Benoit said. “There are tons of different rankings that students will look at.”
Jamie Eckerle, an elementary education junior, is at LSU on TOPS. She said the cost of LSU never was an issue in her mind.
“I never really thought about it because TOPS pays my tuition,” she said.
Eckerle said the cost of LSU may matter more to students coming from out of state who do not receive aid. She does believe the education students receive is worth the price.
Benoit said Recruiting Services relies on the strong leadership at LSU, the history, the many activities offered to students and the many other things LSU has to offer to draw prospective students.
“LSU is one of the top universities in the country,” Benoit said.
Kiplinger’s rankings were determined using admissions rates, ACT/SAT scores, student-faculty ratios, money spent on academics, graduation rates, cost for students, need met by financial aid and many other factors.
The study, according to Kiplinger, placed a higher weight on quality than cost, which only accounted for one-third of the rank.
In the rankings, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill placed at the top of the list because of its affordable price for in-state students ($11,290) and its reputation as a prestigious university.
According to Kiplinger’s, the information used in creating these rankings came from Peterson’s, an educational and career-guidance provider.