University offers a top-value education:
Kaplan/Newsweek ranks campus high

by Daniel J. Fitzgibbons, Chronicle staff

he campus's reputation for providing a quality education at an affordable price has received another boost, this time from the Kaplan/Newsweek College Catalog 2001, which ranked the University among the top schools offering the best value for students' tuition dollars. The catalog describes best value as the quality of education received versus cost.

     Along with the Amherst campus, Kaplan noted several other top-value schools in the Northeast, including the State University of New York at Buffalo; SUNY College at Geneseo; College of New Jersey; Montclair State University; New Hampshire College; and Siena College.

     Kay Scanlan, interim assistant vice chancellor for Communications and Marketing, noted that the Kaplan list reinforces UMass's best-value ranking in U.S. News & World Report's "Great Schools at Great Prices." While 50 national universities are listed as "best values" in U.S. News & World Report, Scanlan points out that UMass is one of only 10 public schools to make the list. The others are: University of Texas-Austin; University of Virginia; University of Missouri-Columbia; University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; Colorado School of Mines; North Carolina State University-Raleigh; University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign; Iowa State University, and the University of Georgia.

     "We are in pretty good company," Scanlan said. "Although our tuition and fees have dropped in the past five years or so, the best-value ranking is not because of our cost, but is due to the strength of the University's faculty and academic offerings." If the University could bring its costs down further, she said, it would very likely rise even higher on the best-value rankings.

     UMass was also listed as a "best buy" in Money magazine's 1998 College Guide. Scanlan said that although Money magazine no longer does the ratings, "These listings in guide after guide corroborate what we've been saying for the last few years: This campus offers exceptional opportunity at a great value. It's a true bargain."