UCF was named again today to the 2016 Best College Value list of public institutions by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.
The university was ranked 36th out of about 600 institutions measured based on standards of academic quality and affordability. The school made the list for the sixth consecutive year and moved up from last year’s ranking of 42nd.
In 2015-16, the average price for in-state students at four-year public schools was $19,548, including tuition, fees, room and board, Kiplinger said. The average UCF student’s cost was $17,068.
The university’s out-of-state cost was $33,167, which is also on the best-value list, at No. 47.
Kiplinger’s measures of quality include the admission rate, percentage of students who return for sophomore year, student-faculty ratio and four-year graduation rate. Cost criteria include tuition, financial aid and average debt at graduation.
“Each school on our rankings, from number 1 to number 300, is a best value,” said Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.
Six other public institutions in the state made the list, including the University of Florida at No. 2. Nationally, the highest-ranked public school was the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the highest ranked private school was Princeton.
The complete rankings are available at Kiplinger and will appear in print in the February issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, on newsstands Jan. 5.
UCF also this year was ranked the 13th Most Innovative School and 91st best public institution by U.S. News & World Report.