The University of Mary Washington is listed among Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s “100 Best Values in Public Colleges” for 2014.
The university ranks fifth among Virginia’s best values and 61st out of 100 four-year public institutions nationwide. The ranking cites four-year schools that combine outstanding education with economic value, according to the February 2014 issue of Kiplinger’s. The list is available online at http://www.kiplinger.com/links/college.
“The college landscape today is very different – tuition increases and student debt dominate the national conversation surrounding higher education,” said Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. “This year’s top 100 schools have made admirable strides to maintain academic integrity and standards while meeting the financial needs of their students.”
Kiplinger’s assesses quality according to a number of measurable standards, including the admission rate, the percentage of students who return for sophomore year, the student-faculty ratio and the four-year graduation rate. Cost criteria include low sticker prices, abundant financial aid and low average debt at graduation.
Other Virginia schools on the in-state “best value” list include the University of Virginia (2), the College of William and Mary (4), James Madison University (22), Virginia Tech (27), George Mason University (72) and Christopher Newport University (84).
UMW has consistently appeared on the list since 2006, and continuously ranks high in selective college guidebooks.