Everyone knows that a college education is an expensive investment, and most prospective students and parents spend a good deal of time considering the price of tuition and financial aid packages. But where can students and parents look to find educational “bargains” that offer students an outstanding education for a reasonable price?
To help answer this question, the Princeton Review – in conjunction with USA Today – compiled a list of “100 Best Value colleges for 2011.” Two categories are included: best value public schools and best value private schools, and the top 50 schools are listed for each category.
The University of Virginia topped the list of best value public schools. Here are the Top 10 Best Value Public Colleges according to the Princeton Review and USA Today:
- University of Virginia
- New College of Florida
- University of Florida
- State University of New York at Binghamton
- University of Georgia
- University of Michigan
- College of William and Mary
- University of North Carolina
- North Carolina State University
- Hunter College, CUNY
Swarthmore College topped the list of best value private schools. Here are the Top 10 Best Value Private Colleges according to the Princeton Review and USA Today:
- Swarthmore College
- Duke University
- Princeton University
- California Institute of Technology
- Harvard College
- Wesleyan University
- Williams College
- Vanderbilt University
- Wesleyan College
- Yale University
What Does it Mean to be a "Best Value" College
So how were these rankings computed, and what does it mean for a college to offer a good value? According to the Princeton Review, these rankings were computed based on a number of factors that measure cost of attendance, financial aid availability, and academic quality.
The last criteria on this list, “academic quality,” is important to note. Schools were not even considered for this list unless they had an outstanding academic reputation. In other words, an inexpensive price tag isn’t enough to quality a school as being a “best value” – and, in fact, there are some pretty expensive schools on this list, including Harvard and Yale. Instead, schools are ranked holistically for the quality of education that students receive for their dollar.
Of course, a “good value” for one student isn’t necessarily a good value for another student. As is the case with all college rankings, students and parents should use this latest ranking as one of the many tools they use to select a college or university. If a school is a poor fit for an individual student, that school is a poor value no matter what he or she pays for their education. In addition, students and parents need to look at their individualized financial aid packages to figure out their best individual value.
Naomi Rockler-Gladen - Instructional designer and freelance writer, Naomi Rockler-Gladen writes some of Suite101's most read work.
