K-State Recognized as Top Value by Princeton Review, Kiplinger

Reprinted Courtesy K-State Media Relations and Marketing

Kansas State University has been named among the best values in U.S. colleges and universities by two recent guides, the Princeton Review and the Kiplinger 100. Both lists focus on academic and financial value.

“We are proud to be included on both of these lists, which not only look at costs, but also at academic excellence,” said Pat Bosco, associate vice president for institutional advancement and dean of student life at K-State. “These are two areas at which K-State excels. We have always focused on financial assistance for students to keep college affordable and achievable. In addition, K-State students receive many prestigious scholarships, job placement is incredible and our retention rates have never been higher.”

K-State ranks No. 1 among public colleges and universities in the number of Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater and Udall scholars since 1986 and is the only public university in the top 10 among all U.S. schools, both public and private.

In addition, funding for scholarships at K-State continues to increase. The university awarded $9 million in scholarships for the 2006-2007 academic year, an increase of about $2 million from 2005-2006.

The Kiplinger 100 Best Values in Public Colleges lists the schools offering “top-notch academics at affordable prices.” The rankings focus on traditional four-year schools with broad-based curriculums and are based on data provided by more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities.

In the scoring to create Kiplinger’s list, academic quality measurements carry more weight than costs. Schools were narrowed down based on academic quality, including SAT/ACT scores; admission rates; freshman retention rates; student-faculty ratios; and four- and six-year graduation rates. The list was then ranked based on cost and financial aid factors, including total cost for in-state students; average cost for a student with need after subtracting grants, but not loans; average cost for a student without need after subtracting non-need-based grants; average percentage of need-based assistance; and average debt a student accumulates before graduation.

The Kiplinger organization focuses on personal finance and business forecasting. The rankings are part of the February 2007 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine and can be found online at http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/2007/02/colleges.html

The Princeton Review’s 2007 America’s Best Value Colleges guide includes 150 colleges and universities, both public and private. To create the list, the company reviewed financial statistics and surveyed students.

To see how schools compared, three ratings were used: academic rating, including students’ opinions on the education they receive as well as admissions statistics; financial aid rating, including school-reported data and how happy students are with their award package; and tuition GPA, or the “Real Cost of College.” For the tuition GPA, the Review starts with the sticker price of tuition, required fees and room and board, and subtracts the average gift aid (scholarships and grants) awarded to students. The guide also looked at school-reported statistics on the percentage of graduating seniors who borrowed money to pay for college and the average dollar amount of debt those students had at graduation. According to the Princeton Review, the guide provides students with the tools they need to “determine the real cost of education.”

The Princeton Review is a New York City-based company known for its test preparation courses, education services and books. Its list of best value colleges can be found at http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/bestvalue/default.asp