The University offers the second “best value” among the nation’s public colleges and universities, according to the 2012-13 Kiplinger rankings released this month . Kiplinger has ranked the University third on its list for the previous three years.
Kiplinger, a Washington, D.C.-based publisher of business forecasts and personal-finance advice, ranks public institutions by a combination of academic and financial metrics. Criteria include student-faculty ratios, admission rates, on-time graduation rates, sticker price and financial aid programs, according to Kiplinger’s website.
The report follows a strong autumn for the University in public college rankings. In October the University was ranked second among public schools by U.S. News & World Report and in August the school topped a Forbes magazine list of public schools, excluding military academies.
The Kiplinger rankings are weighted toward academic metrics, which comprise 55 percent of the overall ranking. In a memo sent to the Board of Visitors last May, University President Teresa Sullivan warned that the University’s academic prestige, touted in national rankings, came primarily from the strength of a few departments.
“Our traditional strengths and international reputation have come from the humanities and the professional schools,” Sullivan said, calling for a renewed focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Cost considerations, including financial aid availability and average graduate indebtedness, are factored into the remaining 45 percent of Kiplinger’s calculations. Kiplinger also ranks a separate list of best-value schools for out-of-state students, on which the University ranked fourth.
“These issues of affordability and tuition rates are increasingly getting attention from the public, and I think rightfully so,” University spokesperson McGregor McCance said. “These are areas that U.Va. has always tried to keep in mind and they have heightened awareness right now overall.”
The University’s tuition and fees increased by 3.7 percent this year, the smallest rate increase in a decade.
The University of North Carolina maintained its number-one ranking for the 12th consecutive year. Seven Virginia schools ranked in the top 100 — the third-most of any state behind California and New York.
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