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At the University of Virginia, the sense of history is as strong as the scent of boxwood. Students live and study in buildings designed by Thomas Jefferson. They tote their backpacks past fat white columns that line the walkways he created, duck into the gardens he envisioned and catch glimpses of the mountains he delighted in.
Some speak English as a second language and others with a Vuh-ginia drawl, but they all soon learn the vocabulary of this Academical Village. It's "The Grounds," not the campus; "The Lawn," not the quad; "first year," not freshman; and always, "Mr. Jefferson."
Students talented enough to be admitted to Mr. Jefferson's village -- and to the other public institutions in Kiplinger's 2008-09 rankings of the best values in public colleges and universities -- are also smart enough to recognize the bargain they're getting.
Of our 100 top schools, led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, fewer than two dozen cost more than $20,000 a year for in-state students; the University of Florida, ranked number two, keeps total in-state costs below $12,000. In contrast, private colleges have lately averaged about $33,000 a year, and some have reached a heart-stopping $50,000.
But the deals on our list aren't restricted to in-state students. At Binghamton University (SUNY), which takes the top spot in value for out-of-state students, non-New Yorkers pay $22,260, only about one-third more than in-state students, to enjoy the can-do culture of this young research institution. UNC-Chapel Hill charges $30,629 a year to out-of-state Tar Heels. That's not chump change, but it's cheap compared with the $50,000-plus sticker price at Duke University, a top-tier private school (and UNC competitor) in nearby Durham.
These schools have established a consistently firm footing at the top of our rankings. But you should also admire the up-and-comers, such as the University of Maryland-College Park, which catapulted to number nine from number 28 last year, thanks to a lower student-faculty ratio and a big jump in graduation rates. West Chester University of Pennsylvania wins the "Most Improved" award: It leaped a whopping 40 slots, from 93 to 53, after boosting graduation rates and offering more need-based aid. George Mason University, in Virginia, climbed from 77 to 46 as a result of improving its test scores and moving more graduates across the stage in four and six years.
FORECAST: HIGHER COSTS
Will the economic turmoil of 2008 affect the ability of these colleges to deliver great value to next year's class? For institutions such as UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Virginia, which have huge endowments and juggernaut fund-raising efforts, probably not; they have the resources to keep operations running relatively smoothly. Leonard Sandridge, executive vice-president and chief operating officer at the University of Virginia, says that despite cuts in state funding and negative endowment returns for the most recent quarter, "If we've managed as well as we intend to, the customer will not experience a cutback."
POSTED BY: Patrick Grady (May 14, 2009 11:16 AM)
One other thing to think about;is a college education even worth it anymore. Unless you are going into a field that requires advanced training, most college educations are never used by the people who get them. We simply use a college degree to weed out those "less educated" and therefore undeserving of a job with a major corporation. Look at what all those college educated people did to our economy.
I have a degree, own my own company and not one thing I learned in school helped me accomplish that goal. On the other hand, college did teach me how to DRINK.
We need to rework our view on college and all those liberal professors. Who needs em?
Patrick Grady
www.bigmediasales.com
POSTED BY: Sandra (May 22, 2009 07:00 PM)
We will send our 4th son to the Univ. of FL in August. It indeed has been a great value---quality education along with the Florida Bright Futures scholarships. Two sons graduated with no debt (working plus living very cheaply with a lot of beans, rice, and deer meat!)and the oldest son with some loans largely from spending a year studying abroad. Go Gators!
POSTED BY: Margo Peel (June 21, 2009 10:48 AM)
How on earth did you manage to overlook Kansas State University? A diverse school with lots to offer, College of Architecture, Engineering, a solid Bachelor of Arts program, etc. and of course their Agricultural College. This University does not charge much for tuition for either in-state nor out-of-state students.
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