Illinois State University’s lucky number for the day is seven. For the seventh straight time, Illinois State is ranked as one of 100 best values in public colleges in the country according to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.
“Illinois State University continues to be a first choice academic institution as evidenced by the inclusion in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine for the seventh straight year,” said President Al Bowman. “The University’s combination of high quality academics at an affordable price has earned it a spot with some very prestigious universities around the country. The strategic plan, Educating Illinois, will continue to guide our efforts to attract and retain the highest quality students, faculty and staff.”
Illinois State ranked 95th on the list, one of only two in Illinois to make the list, with the second being the University of Illinois.
Kiplinger’s rankings are based on data provided by more than 500 public four-year colleges supplemented by the magazine’s independent research. Ranking measures include ACT scores, admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios, the percentage of faculty with the highest degree in their field, how much each school spends on instruction for each student, how much each school spends on library facilities, and four-and six-year graduation rates.
Kiplinger’s then ranks each school on a combination of quality and cost components, including cost for in-state students (tuition, mandatory fees, room, board and estimated expenses for books and supplies), the average for each student with need after subtracting grants (but not loans), the average cost for a student without need after subtracting merit-based grants, the average percentage of need met by aid and the average debt a student accumulates prior to graduation.
Kiplinger’s places greater overall weight on quality, which accounts for about two-thirds of the final score, than on cost. Other institutions on the list include the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Florida, University of Virginia and College of William and Mary.
To see information about the selection, go to http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges. Web visitors will find special interactive features including a reader’s choice poll, a slideshow of the top 10 schools and data sortable by criteria such as state, tuition cost, average debt, student/faculty ratio and admission rate.
