Which Colleges Offer the Most for Your Money?
Assessing the educational quality of colleges relative to their costs is becoming a more difficult task, especially given the growing complexities of financial aid. Yet, with the cost of colleges increasing faster than most family incomes, value has become a key factor for students in selecting where to go to school.
To make it easier for families that qualify for financial aid to determine values, U.S. News has produced lists of the best college values in 10 academic categories. And because U.S News believes that the best values are found among schools that are above average educationally, only colleges in the top-half of their America's Best Colleges 2009 edition rankings category were considered for the evaluation.
Schools that are free or nearly free like: Berea College (KY) , Cooper Union (NY), U.S. Air Force Academy (CO), U.S. Coast Guard Academy (CT), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (NY), U.S. Military Academy (NY), U.S. Naval Academy (MD), and Webb Institute (NY) have been excluded from consideration.
The Best Values rankings are based on three variables.
1. Ratio of quality to price: A school's overall score in the rankings was divided by the 2007-2008 academic year net cost to a student receiving the average need-based scholarship or grant.
2. Percentage of all undergraduates receiving need-based scholarships or grants during the 2007-2008 academic year.
3. Average discount: percentage of a school's 2007-2008 total costs (tuition, room and board, fees, books, and other expenses) covered by the 2007-2008 academic year average need-based scholarship or grant to undergraduates
We have published the lists of which schools are the best values on the free section of our website. You can go to these links to see the list of schools.
Tags: colleges | tuition | rankings | paying for college
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Reader Comments
Percent of students receiving non-need-based aid
I am trying to sort out some of the statistics and rankings provided wrt paying for a private education.
There are several sets of stats listed on this site that I'm trying to better understand for several schools. This article on the "best value" raised some new questions.
With the premium on-line edition, I have been able to access the following on your site:
* Average need-based scholoarships or grants.
* % of students receiving need-based scholoarships or grants.
* Average non-need-based scholoarships or grants
I cannot find a listing for the associated "% of students receiving non-need-based scholarships or grants". However, I did find the list where you show this top schools for most merit aid ==> "Best Colleges: Most students receiving merit aid".
I'd like to know these actual stats for other schools I'm considering, to intercompare, not just the top 100.
I realize that "merit aid" is not exactly the same as "non-need-based" aid.
Am I'm missing this information somewhere within the college listings?
REGISTRATION
PLEASE I WANT TO STUDY IN SOME STATE UNIVERSITIES BUT IWANT TO COMPARE THEIR PRICES AND FINANCIAL AID BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT CAUSE IT IS SOMEHOW NOT CONPREHENDING.
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