Kiplinger ranks Mason among 'best values'

Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine recently released its list of “best value” public colleges and universities with George Mason University landing 61st for in-state students and 90th for out-of-state students.

The Kiplinger rating is based on academic quality, which includes student-faculty ratio and admission rate.  Affordability is also factored in based on the total cost of attendance both with and without financial aid.

Two other Virginia schools received praise from Kiplinger for maintaining positions among the top five “best value” schools since the list began in 1998.

Kiplinger said the University of Virginia and the College of William and Marry, ranked third and fourth respectively, each draw accomplished freshman classes and boast high graduation rates, in addition to good value in cost of attendance.

All of the schools on Kiplinger’s list raised tuition for the 2010-11 academic year, according to the magazine, except the University of Maryland, which raised tuition by less than $600.

Mason’s ranking is improved over last year’s 64th for in-state students and 95th for out-of-state students.

To see the complete Kiplinger list, click here.
To see the University article on Mason’s ranking, click here.