NC State Gives Big Bang for Buck

A winning combination of low tuition and outstanding student support earned NC State high marks in the Washington Monthly’s new “Best Bang for the Buck” ranking. The magazine placed the university No. 4 among national universities helping low- and middle-income students attain marketable degrees at an affordable price.

In a separate feature story praising “standout” universities, the magazine noted that NC State is often overshadowed by nearby Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill. But it shouldn’t be, the magazine said.

“The Raleigh campus offers resources commensurate to, or exceeding, the others at an astonishingly low net cost for a flagship research institution,” the article explained.

The Washington Monthly lauded NC State’s implementation of the federal TRIO programs, including the Talent Search program that provides hands-on counseling to thousands of middle and high school students in the state and offers educational assistance to those with the potential to succeed at the college level.

But student support doesn’t stop there, the magazine added.

“Once they get to NCSU, Student Support Services continues to reach out with tutoring, career counseling, and financial aid advice, helping to deliver better-than-expected graduation rates.”

Among the measures used to rank universities for the list were graduation rate, student loan default rate, percent of low income students enrolled and average earnings following graduation. Out of 1,572 colleges and universities evaluated, only 349 made the list.