UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State has again been named one of the 100 Best Values in Public Colleges by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. The annual ranking placed the University at No. 56 among four-year public schools that “combine outstanding academics with affordable cost” for 2014-15.
The ranking reflects schools’ value for in-state students. Kiplinger’s also compiles out-of-state value rankings, with Penn State also ranked in the top 100, at No. 68.
Kiplinger’s assesses quality according to a number of standards, including admission rates, the percentage of students who return for their sophomore year, student-faculty ratios and four-year graduation rates. Cost criteria include tuition and fees, financial aid available and student loan debt at graduation.
Penn State was one of only four Pennsylvania universities to make this year’s list, with Temple University, the University of Pittsburgh and West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
This year Kiplinger also included for the first time a combined list of the 300 best values in private liberal arts colleges, private universities and public colleges to show how the top schools in each of the three categories stacked up against each other. Penn State ranks 221 in this combined list.
The full rankings and methodologies are available at www.kiplinger.com/links/college.