Carolina ranks second on The Princeton Review’s 2013 list of the “Best Value Public Colleges.”
The ranking is based on data collected from fall 2011 through fall 2012 through institutional and student surveys. The data points covered academics, costs and financial aid, according to The Princeton Review website. The company said it also considered the percentage of graduating seniors who borrowed from any loan program and the average debt those students had at graduation.
The University of Virginia came in at the top spot in this year’s ranking. The New College of Florida, the College of William & Mary and the University of California at Los Angeles came in after UNC. Rounding out the top 10 were North Carolina State University, the University of Wisconsin, State University of New York at Binghamton, the University of Michigan and the University of Georgia.
Swarthmore College topped The Princeton Review’s list for private colleges.
The “Best Value Colleges” list and profiles of the schools are available on the Princeton Review’s website. USA Today also has posted an exclusive interactive database about the list. Additionally, the list is published in the Princeton Review’s book, “The Best Value Colleges: The 150 Best-Buy Schools and What it Takes to Get In,” 2013 edition.
In January, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine rated Carolina as the number one value in American public higher education. It was the 12th time in a row that UNC ranked first on Kiplinger’s list of the 100 universities and colleges that provide the best value to in-state students. Carolina was listed second for the best value offered to out-of-state students.
Published February 6, 2013.