The University of Virginia ranked as the nation’s “best value” public college for the third year in a row, according to rankings released Tuesday. The Princeton Review gave the College of William & Mary the seventh spot, while James Madison University and Virginia Tech also cracked the top 50 public values. The University of Richmond finished in the top 50 for private universities.
Across the Potomac River, University of Maryland’s College Park and Baltimore County campuses were both top-50 finishers for public colleges, while Johns Hopkins University and St. Mary’s College ranked as private schools.
Rob Franek, senior vice president and publisher for the Princeton Review, said “solid academics” get weighed alongside tuition and financial aid to determine which universities deliver the most bang for the buck.
“There has been such a very clear push for making college tuition at U.Va. affordable for the average family,” Franek said. “That brings the tab that an in-state student would be paying down to about $8,300.”
Compare that with the $16,140 national average for freshman tuition at a public college — or $36,900 for a private school — and you’ve got what Franek calls “a low sticker price.”
Last month, rival publication Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine named U.Va. third and William & Mary fourth among “best value” public colleges; both schools have maintained their top-five positions since Kiplinger’s first rankings in 1998.
The University of Maryland, College Park, followed in fifth place. A spokeswoman for the university said she was not sure why the Princeton Review didn’t give them the same kudos.
Franek said most other lists don’t account for student experience beyond the numbers. “We ask students if their schools were providing a great classroom experience, if their professors were good teachers,” as well as students’ satisfaction with their financial aid packages.
About half of U.Va.’s 15,595 students receive financial aid — the average grant for a first-year student is $11,676 — and students can access more than 700 clubs.
Colin Hood, president of U.Va’s student council, thanked his Charlottesville school’s reliance on “self-governance” for high levels of student efficacy: There are no clubs, but “contracted independent organizations,” which students run largely independently of the school administration.
“[Activities] range from Bob Barker fan clubs to societies that do philanthropies,” the senior said. “Just everyone is involved. Most people here are passionate about something in particular, and the university gives them support.”
