Kiplinger's names University of Richmond to "Best Values in Private Universities" list
March 12, 2007
Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine has named the University of Richmond to its 2007 list of the 50 "Best Values in Private Universities." The list ranks private colleges and universities that exemplify outstanding economic values and an exceptional education, according to the magazine's editors. The rankings appear in the April issue of the magazine.
Richmond was ranked 22nd on the private universities list ahead of such schools as Cornell (23), Boston College (24) and Johns Hopkins (25). The top five schools on the private universities list, in order, are California Institute of Technology, Yale, Harvard, Rice and Duke. The top five schools on the magazine's private liberal arts colleges list, in order, are Swarthmore, Williams, Amherst, Davidson and Pomona.
Selected from a pool of more than 1,000 private institutions, Kiplinger's ranked the schools into two lists: one for liberal arts colleges, which offer mostly undergraduate programs, and the other for universities, which also offer graduate degrees. The same academic and cost measures were applied to each category. Academic quality accounted for two-thirds of their measurement and affordability for one-third.
To rate each school, Kiplinger's took into account admission rate, SAT or ACT scores, student-faculty ratio, four-year/five-year graduation rate, total costs (including tuition, fees, room and board), cost after need-based aid, aid from grants, cost after non-need-based aid, and average debt at graduation.
"This ranking affirms that the University of Richmond offers a world-class education and provides generous financial aid support to make it affordable," said President William E. Cooper.
Through scholarships, grants, loans and other resources, over 65 percent of Richmond undergraduate students receive some type of financial aid. Richmond is one of fewer than 40 American universities to guarantee a need-blind admissions review and a commitment to meeting 100 percent of the financial need demonstrated by its U.S. undergraduates. The university also recently expanded its aid for international students and merit scholarship program and introduced a new financial aid program for Virginia students from low-income families.
For a complete list of the rankings and additional information on methodology and other specifics, visit kiplinger.com/tools/privatecolleges.