Best Value Colleges: A Top Education for Your Money
Posted on Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Category: Applying to College, Choosing a College, College Rankings, Paying for College
Want to get the most for your money?
The Princeton Review’s 2009 list of “Best Value Colleges” is a good place to start looking.
The test-prep company compiles its list based on data surveys from students and administrators at more than 650 colleges and universities, according to the USA Today. Factors considered include:
So which 10 private colleges and which 10 public colleges topped the list?
Private Colleges
1. Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, Pennsylvania)
2. Harvard College (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
3. Princeton University (Princeton, New Jersey)
4. Rice University (Houston, Texas)
5. Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut)
6. Williams College (Williamstown, Massachusetts)
7. Amherst College (Amherst, Massachusetts)
8. California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, California)
9. Pomona College (Claremont, California)
10. Stanford University (Stanford, California)
Public Colleges
1. University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Virginia)
2. New College of Florida (Sarasota, Florida)
3. College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
4. State University of New York-Binghamton (Binghamton, New York)
5. Florida State University (Tallahassee, Florida)
6. North Carolina State University (Raleigh, North Carolina)
7. University of California San Diego (San Diego, California
8. City University of New York — Hunter College (New York, New York)
9. University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia)
10. The College of New Jersey (Ewing, New Jersey)
The public colleges are the best value, of course, if you are a resident of the state where the college is located and qualify for the lower in-state tuition. Out-of-state and international students typically don’t get in-state tuition (although that is changing at some colleges).
Your personal list of top colleges might differ from this list, depending on your college major, the part of America where you would like to live, and other priorities. When searching for schools, don’t limit yourself to this list of value colleges, but certainly research them to find out if one meets your needs and budget.
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