The Princeton Review Best released its annual list of Best Value Colleges Tuesday, naming the University the Best Value Public college for the third consecutive year.
The rankings are divided into 50 private and 50 public universities, with Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania named the Best Value Private College. Three other universities in Virginia ranked in the top 50 public universities - Virginia Tech, James Madison University and the College of William & Mary. The University of Richmond also ranked among the top 50 private universities.
The Princeton Review examined the academics, the cost of attendance and financial aid in about 650 to 700 colleges across the country, said Rob Franek, senior vice president and publisher for Princeton Review.
"We reach out to a little over 2,000 schools to start, and then we cut that list to 650 to 700 based on admission criteria," Franek said.
The rankings compare the academic excellence of students entering the University to those at universities across the country.
"Academic factors included the quality of students the schools attract as measured by admissions credentials, as well as how students rated their academic experiences," according to a Princeton Review press release. The institutional data was collected from fall 2009 through fall 2010, the release stated.
Franek commented that the cost of attendance at the University is lower than the typical fees of schools across the nation, saying, "U.Va. is half of the average when it comes to sticker price for in-state tuition."
The review computed financial aid criteria for each college class by calculating the amount of financial aid each student received, as well as the number of students in debt after college and the percentage of students that needed to take out loans after college, the press release said.
The University also ranks highly in the amount of financial aid it provides to students, giving out an average of $11,670 in grant aid, Franek said.
"U.Va. has been unapologetic about trying to meet a student and family's financial need 100 percent," he said.
President Teresa A. Sullivan emphasizes the University's commitment to affordability through programs such as AccessUVa.
"We are particularly pleased by this ranking because it speaks to a strong institutional commitment to making a U.Va. education affordable, no matter what a family's financial circumstances," Sullivan said in a press release. "The creation of AccessUVA, our comprehensive financial aid program, seven years ago deepened that commitment and opened our doors to students who previously thought a U.Va. education was out of their reach."
The survey not only accounts for financial competitiveness, but also student satisfaction, collecting responses from 122,000 students in each of the colleges.
"We specifically wanted to make sure we didn't just look at schools with a low sticker price; we also wanted to make sure students were having a challenging experience in the classroom," Franek said.
Franek said his research found University students extremely satisfied with their classroom experiences, citing the University's honor system and students' relationship with professors as reasons for this sense of fulfillment.
"Professors are their heroes," Franek said. "They consider their professors to be tough graders, but very fair in their critique."
Administrators responded to the ranking by saying the University is academically and financially competitive.
"Our students come here to get the best education available, and our staff and faculty deliver the results in an efficient and effective manner," Leonard Sandridge, executive vice president and chief operating officer, said in a press release. "It is a powerful combination that we never take for granted."
Gov. Bob McDonnell said the success of the University in the recent Princeton Review rankings is an indication of the academic excellence that Virginia promotes.
"Having five colleges and universities named to this prestigious list reinforces that the Commonwealth is a national leader for higher education," McDonnell said in a press release.
Franek said he believes his rankings accurately reflect the University's commitment to making tuition affordable to both in-state and out-of-state students.
"The numbers speak for themselves," he said.
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