Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Ranks New College #8 "Best Value" in U.S.

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance has named the 100 best values in public colleges for 2009, ranking four-year schools that combine outstanding economic value with top-notch education.  For the sixth consecutive time, New College of Florida ranks in the top 10, placing at #8 on this year’s Kiplinger’s list. The list is published in the December 2008 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine—on newsstands Tuesday, November 11th —and available starting October 31, 2008 at www.kiplinger.com/money/collegevalues.

Private colleges have recently averaged about $33,000 a year—a sharp contrast to the public institutions on Kiplinger’s top 100 list, most of which cost less than $20,000 a year for in-state students. New College, coming in at #8, averages $12,391 for in-state tuition.

Many of the schools in the Kiplinger 100 also provide financial aid opportunities for high-achieving students. Of the top ten ranked schools, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (#1), the University of Virginia (#3), and New College of Florida (#8) bestow enough need-based grant money to bring the average cost of in-state attendance to under $5,000.

New College is one of two Florida colleges to be included on Kiplinger’s top ten list.  The University of Florida was ranked number two in the country.

Selected from a pool of more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities, schools in the Kiplinger 100 were ranked according to academic quality, including admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios and four- and six-year graduation rates, as well as on cost and financial aid. To view the complete article, please visit www.kiplinger.com. Rankings, methodology, and other specifics are available at: www.kiplinger.com/money/collegevalues.

Kiplinger’s Top Ten Values in Public Higher Education: