As college tuition gets progressively more expensive, far outpacing inflation, one wonders where does all that money go? What is good value for money where college is concerned?
The financial website Kiplinger recently rated the top 10 best value public colleges for 2011-2012. UNC Chapel Hill topped the list with University of Florida coming in second.
So how did they make these determinations? Kiplinger has more:
We narrow the list to about 120 schools based on measures of academic quality -- including SAT or ACT scores, admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios, and four- and six-year graduation rates, which most schools reported for the class that entered in 2004. We then rank each school based on cost and financial aid. Academic quality carries more weight than costs.
To assess costs, we look at the total expenses for in-state students (tuition, mandatory fees, room and board, and books); the average cost for a student with need after subtracting grants (but not loans); the average cost for a student without need after subtracting non-need-based grants; the average percentage of need met by aid; the percentage of students who borrow; and the average debt per student borrower at graduation.
Check out our slide show of the best value colleges. Then tell us, was your college a good value? Weigh in below!
