Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine ranks Elon #22 among the nation’s best values in private higher education.
In its annual ranking of the 200 top values in private colleges, Kiplinger’s ranks Elon #15 on its total cost list, and #22 in best value. The ranking, published in the magazine’s December 2012 edition, is the seventh consecutive top-50 placement of Elon by Kiplinger’s. Last year, Elon ranked #34 on the best value list.
Kiplinger’s says Elon and the other top-value schools “deliver a high-quality education at an affordable price.”
Elon’s total cost is $10,000-$20,000 lower than the other top-25 universities ranked by Kiplinger’s. Among the best value universities, Elon is one of just 15 schools with a total cost of under $40,000 a year.
Elon, Duke (#4) and Wake Forest (#29) universities are the only schools in North Carolina or South Carolina on the private universities list. Davidson College is the only North Carolina school on the private liberal arts colleges list.
Kiplinger’s assesses quality based on measurable standards related to academic quality and affordability; quality counts for 56 percent of the ranking and cost factors account for 44 percent. Specific data measured in the ranking include total cost, financial aid, student indebtedness, student selectivity in admissions, graduation rates and academic support, including student-faculty ratio and freshman retention rates.
The Kiplinger’s ranking includes the nation’s most prestigious private universities. The top 10 universities in this year’s best value ranking are Yale, Rice, Princeton, Duke, Cal Tech, Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania.
“Kiplinger’s list of the best private colleges has become a recognized and respected resource for families researching the best value in college education,” says Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. “The schools on this year’s list offer students both academic excellence and affordability, which is increasingly important in this challenging economic landscape.”