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New Nods for Online Degrees, Best Value

NC State received high marks for several of its online degree programs and was again recognized as a national best value in higher education. The rankings, from U.S. News & World Report and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, underscore the university’s academic excellence.

On the Kiplinger’s list of the top 100 best values in public colleges, NC State came in at 21st overall. The ranking identifies four-year schools that combine outstanding education with economic value, a traditional characteristic of NC State.

Kiplinger’s measured standards such as the admission rate, the percentage of students returning for sophomore year, the student-faculty ratio and the four-year graduation rate. Cost criteria include abundant financial aid and low average debt at graduation.

Top Online Degree Programs

On the U.S. News list of top online degree programs, NC State got several nods, including seventh for online graduate programs in engineering, ninth for online graduate programs in computer information technology, 17th for online graduate programs in education and 42nd for online graduate programs in business.

U.S. News collected data from participating institutions last fall for the 12 months between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012. Programs were ranked on a wide range of factors, including student engagement, selectivity, reputation, faculty credentials and training, and student services and technology.

NC State’s academic excellence is reflected in more than 100 student national scholars and fellows over the last five years, including four Goldwater Scholars, two Udall Scholars and 20 National Science Foundation graduate research fellows in the last year alone. NC State graduates are among the most desired by recruiters, according to the Wall Street Journal.