Recognition for academic excellence and value

The University has been ranked No. 10 nationally in the Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine list of the 100 best values for out-of-state students among public institutions of higher education, and 15th in the nation for in-state students.

The list ranks four-year public colleges and universities that combine outstanding economic value with a first-class education, with the 100 best values selected from a pool of more than 500 institutions. UD ranks just ahead of Florida State University and just behind the University of California Los Angeles in the survey, which rates the institutions based on academic quality, cost and financial aid.

“Once again, the merits of the University are recognized in a national survey. The University of Delaware truly is a great institution and stands out among all institutions of higher education, public and private,” UD President David P. Roselle says. “We are grateful to our many friends, and to our faculty, staff and students who have been integral to the many reasons for it being recognized as such.”

Kiplinger’s uses a rigorous quantitative ranking system to identify schools where students can receive a stellar education without graduating with a mountain of debt.

Tuition and fees at four-year public institutions have risen 35 percent over the past four years, according to the College Board, but “real values are still available,” Kiplinger’s Editor Fred Frailey says.

In announcing the survey results, the magazine said the schools that made the top 100 keep costs down through creative financing, such as university-branded apparel and private fundraising. UD recently completed its first comprehensive fundraising effort, which raised more than $431 million. A major emphasis of the drive was funding for scholarships for undergraduates and fellowships for graduate students.

The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill topped the Kiplinger’s 100 list. The rankings also are available at the magazine’s web site, [www.kiplinger.com].

UD also was featured prominently in a November Wall Street Journal article about many state universities becoming more selective in admissions.

In the article, headlined “Beyond Berkeley,” UD is one of eight schools dubbed, “Up and Comers,” or schools “improving both the caliber of students admitted and their academic offerings, according to admissions deans at top graduate schools, college advisers and recruiters.”

Along with statistical information on applications, average grade point average and out-of-state tuition costs, the article made note of the University’s study abroad programs, comprehensive fundraising drive, recently constructed residence halls on the Laird Campus and the new Center for the Arts.