Kiplinger’s Names UMass Amherst a ‘Best Value’ Among the Nation’s Public Colleges for 2009-10

Jan. 4, 2010

Contact:

Daniel J. Fitzgibbons 413/545-0444

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst is among the “100 Best Values in Public Colleges for 2009-10,” according to a just published ranking by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.

The United States has more than 600 four-year public colleges. For out-of-state students, UMass Amherst is 49th on the magazine’s measure of high quality education and affordability. Kiplinger’s also ranks UMass Amherst 79th in overall value for in-state residents.

Kiplinger’s bases its rankings on a combination of academics and affordability. Using data on more than 500 schools, the magazine weighs academic quality, cost and financial aid to develop its top 100 rankings.

Academic quality considers SAT or ACT scores, admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios, and four- and six-year graduation rates, which most schools reported for the class entering in 2002. Academic quality accounts for nearly two-thirds of each school’s ranking, according to the magazine.

To assess costs, the magazine considered total expenses for in-state students, including tuition, mandatory fees, room, board and books; the average cost for a student with need after subtracting grants, but not loans; the average cost for a student without need after subtracting non-need-based grants; the average percentage of need met by aid; and the average debt per student before graduation.

Out-of-state rankings are based on academic quality, total costs for out-of-state residents and average costs after aid.

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