For Immediate Release—Monday, January 8, 2007
Contact:
Mary E. McCrank
Media Relations Officer
(585) 245-5516
Kiplinger's Ranks SUNY Geneseo No. 2 Best Value Among The
Nation's Public Colleges For Out-of-State Students, No. 7 Best Value For
In-State Students
GENESEO, N.Y.—The State University of New York at
Geneseo has again been ranked at the top of the Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine's list of the 100 Best Values in Public
Colleges among the nation's four-year public colleges and universities.
Geneseo was ranked No. 2 best value for out-of-state
students and No. 7 for best value for in-state students among public schools
across the country. This is the second year in a row Geneseo has been ranked
No. 7 best value for in-state students, having jumped from 32nd
place in Kiplinger's previous rankings
in November 2003.
The rankings are included in the magazine's February
edition, which hits newsstands and will be posted online at www.kiplinger.com Tuesday, Jan. 9. The article, "Best Values
in Public Colleges," states that schools that make The Kiplinger 100 list offer
"top-notch academics at affordable prices" and "combine outstanding economic value
with a first-class education."
"The Kiplinger's
rankings once again confirm the quality of a Geneseo education," said SUNY
Geneseo President Christopher C. Dahl. "They are a reflection of the synergy
between an outstanding liberal arts faculty and the talented students we
attract and a further indication of Geneseo's reputation as New York's public
honors college."
Kiplinger's determined
its rankings based on data provided by more than 500 public four-year colleges
and universities. Schools on the list were ranked according to academic
quality, cost and financial aid.
Kiplinger's lauded
Geneseo for again topping its "rankings for offering high-quality education to
out-of-state residents as a relatively low cost—about $21,000 annually.
The average financial-aid package cuts that amount by several thousand
dollars."
The article noted that although the College Board reports
that tuition and fees at four-year public institutions have risen 35 percent
during the past four years, "real values are still available." The Geneseo's
total in-state cost is $14,848, while its total out-of-state cost is $21,108.
"Our ranking as No. 2 in the nation of all public colleges
and universities for value (quality for the price) supports what we experience
on a day-to-day basis as we increasingly compete for students with some of the
best undergraduate colleges and universities in the nation," said Bill Caren,
associate vice president of enrollment services for the college.
Kiplinger's based its
college rankings on a combination of outstanding academic quality plus an
affordable price tag. The magazine started with more than 500 public four-year
colleges and universities and narrowed the list to 120 schools based on several
measures of academic quality, including the percentage of the 2005-06 freshman
class scoring 600 or higher on the verbal and math components of the SAT (or
scoring 24 or higher on the ACT), admission and retention rates,
student-faculty ratios, and four- and six-year graduation rates. Academic
quality carried more weight than costs, accounting for almost two-thirds the total
scoring.
Then, each school was ranked based on cost and financial
aid. Kiplinger's examined the total cost
for in-state students (tuition, mandatory fees, room and board, and estimated
textbook costs); 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;
and the average debt a student accumulates before graduation.
To determine out-of-state rankings, Kiplinger's ran the academic-quality and cost numbers again,
this time using total costs for out-of-state and average costs after aid.
Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, which was founded in 1947, provides advice on financial
security and money management. The magazine also will make the rankings
available for review at www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges.
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