NC State Ninth On Princeton Review Best Value Public College List

In yet another testament to its success at providing a quality education at a low price, North Carolina State University is ranked ninth in the “Top 10 Best Value Public Colleges for 2011” by The Princeton Review.

An education services company, The Princeton Review chose its “Best Value Colleges” for 2011 based on criteria covering academics, cost of attendance and financial aid. The methodology examined more than 30 factors using data from the company’s surveys of administrators and students at 650 colleges with strong academic programs. Most of the data analyzed came from surveys conducted from fall 2009 through fall 2010; all cost and financial aid data came from fall 2010 surveys.

“Our best value ranking is a credit to our faculty and staff and the hard work they do on behalf of students,” Chancellor Randy Woodson said. “It also reflects North Carolina’s historic commitment to funding higher education. A shrinking state budget presents a serious challenge to our ability to maintain quality and affordability. Affordability without quality is no bargain.”

NC State is no stranger to Princeton Review lists. In 2006 it was named both second best value among the nation’s public colleges and universities and one of the nation’s 25 “most connected” campuses; in 2009 it was sixth on the best value list and in 2010 it was 13th.

NC State also appeared on 2011 best value lists recently compiled by Kiplinger’s (15th for in-state students and 13th for out-of-state students) and U.S. News & World Report (sixth in best overall public university value).

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