January 3, 2012 — New College of Florida has moved up to the no. 5 spot in an annual list of the 100 best values in public colleges published by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, which ranks four-year schools that combine outstanding education with economic value. In 2011, the College was ranked no. 11.
This marks the ninth consecutive year that New College has placed among the nation’s top 20 public colleges overall on the Kiplinger list of schools delivering a stellar education at an affordable price.
The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill took the top honors, a spot it has held consistently since Kiplinger’s first analysis in 1998. The University of Florida was ranked No. 2, followed by the University of Virginia, the College of William and Mary, and New College. Of the top 10, only New College and William and Mary are liberal arts colleges.
“The University of Florida and New College of Florida (fifth in our rankings) not only post prices that are less than half the average for private schools — $38,589, according to the College Board — but also beat the national average for public schools ($17,131), underlining the weight we give to affordability,” states Kiplinger’s. New College’s total in-state tuition was listed at $15,458, which included room and board and the cost of books and supplies.
Kiplinger’s describes New College as “a small, liberal-arts honors school overlooking Sarasota Bay in Sarasota [offering] a low student-faculty ratio, a low sticker price and exceptional financial aid: Students who qualify for need-based aid pay only $5,316 a year. Student borrowers graduate with less than $12,000 in average debt, about half the national average for students.”
The annual public school rankings appear in Kiplinger’s February 2012 issue —on newsstands today— and online at www.kiplinger.com/links/college.
“As states cut funding for higher education and tuition continues to climb, the word ‘value’ becomes more significant than ever,” said Jane Bennett Clark, senior editor at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. “This year’s top 100 public schools deliver strong academics at reasonable prices. We applaud these institutions for tightening their belts without compromising quality.”
Each year, Kiplinger’s selects 100 schools from more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities provided by Peterson’s/Nelnet, assessing quality and affordability according to a number of measurable standards. This year, Kiplinger’s revamped the rankings to give more weight to academic value, such as the percentage of students who return for sophomore year and four-year graduation rates. Cost criteria included low sticker prices, abundant financial aid and low average debt at graduation. For more methodology specifics, go to www.kiplinger.com/links/college.
Kiplinger’s Top 10 Values in Public Colleges for 2011-12
| Public College | Total Cost Per Year In-State | Total Cost Per Year Out of State |
Average Debt at Graduation |
| 1. U of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | $17,628 |
$37,454 |
$16,165 |
| 2. University of Florida | 15,526 |
37,803 |
16,013 |
| 3. University of Virginia | 21,626 |
45,948 |
19,384 |
| 4. College of William and Mary |
23,054 |
45,331 |
21,367 |
| 5. New College of Florida |
15,458 |
38,487 |
11,458 |
| 6. University of Georgia |
19,258 |
37,468 |
15,938 |
| 7. University of California, Berkeley |
29,027 |
51,905 |
16,056 |
| 8. University of Maryland, College Park | 19,409 |
36,780 |
22,696 |
| 9. University of California, Los Angeles |
28,174 |
51,052 |
16,733 |
| 10. University of California, San Diego |
26,232 |
49,110 |
18,757 |
About New College
New College of Florida is the state of Florida’s honors college for the liberal arts and sciences. With an enrollment of between 800-825 and a 10-to-1 student/faculty ratio, students enjoy small, intimate classes, an intellectually rigorous curriculum and a collaborative working relationship with faculty, who teach challenging seminar-style courses and critical thinking skills. New College’s innovative academic program includes flexible course requirements, narrative evaluations, independent study projects and the requirement to complete a senior thesis in order to graduate. Professors instill in each student a sense of personal accountability for his or her educational journey.
About Kiplinger’s
Founded in 1920 by W.M. Kiplinger, the company developed one of the nation’s first successful newsletters in modern times. The Kiplinger Letter, launched in 1923, remains the longest continuously published newsletter in the United States. In 1947, Kiplinger created the nation’s first personal finance magazine, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, and also operates the fast growing website, Kiplinger.com.