UCSD Named One of Best Values Among Public Colleges

UC San Diego has been named the 10th best value public college in the nation by Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, the university announced.

The university moved up two spots from last year's list, which ranks schools based on cost and financial aid, average student debt, competitiveness, graduation rates and academic support.

“We're delighted to be included in the top 10 best values in public colleges list by Kiplinger's Personal Finance,” said Anne Klein, director of the university's financial aid office. “More than 60 percent of our undergraduate students receive need-based support. UC San Diego provides an outstanding and affordable education.”

Two other California universities were listed in the top 10 – UC Berkeley snagged the number seven spot, and UCLA was ranked ninth.

Due to the persistent decline in state funding to higher education, Kiplinger's changed its ranking methodology for this year's list to give more weight to certain criteria, such as the percentage of freshmen who return for their sophomore year and the four-year graduation rate, according to the publication.

“Given these hard times in higher ed, the word value takes on special resonance,” according to a Kiplinger's statement.

The list of the top 100 schools will appear in the February issue of the magazine and at kiplinger.com.

– City News Service