U of A Moves Up in Kiplinger's 'Best College Values' Ranking

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas is ranked 58th among public universities in the “2015 Best College Values” report released by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. The U of A jumped 10 spots since last year’s report.

“This improved ranking recognizes our efforts to continually improve the academic quality of the University of Arkansas while working hard to keep costs affordable for our students and their parents,” said Chancellor G. David Gearhart. “Part of the cost equation means keeping tuition and fees as low as possible. The other part involves raising private funds so we can offer financial aid to qualified students who deserve the opportunity to pursue a college degree. I’m proud of the success we have had in all these areas, and we intend to keep doing more.”

The Kiplinger’s report is based on surveys of the schools, with 55 percent of the ranking based on academic quality factors and 45 percent based on costs and the availability of financial support for students. “Best College Values” looks at factors such as admission rate, percentage of freshmen with high admission test scores, freshman retention rate, student-faculty ratio and four-year graduation rate in assessing academic quality. Cost categories include total cost, available student financial aid, percentage of need met, percentage of students who borrow and average student debt at graduation.

The University of Arkansas placed 8th among Southeastern Conference schools.

The U of A is consistently recognized in “Best Value” surveys by organizations such as Forbes, Institutional Research and Evaluation Inc., and The Princeton Review.