Gustavus Named a Top 50 Liberal Arts College Value by Kiplinger’s Posted on October 17th, 2013 by

ThumbprintKiplinger’s Personal Finance has included Gustavus Adolphus College on its list of the country’s best values in private colleges. Kiplinger’s annual list, which was released Thursday, Oct. 17, ranks the top 100 private universities and 100 liberal arts colleges. Gustavus was named the 47th best value in the country among liberal arts colleges.

The news comes just one week after Gustavus announced a new pricing strategy intended to keep tuition costs down by tying any future tuition increases to a three-year rolling average of the Consumer Price Index.

“The Board of Trustees is committed to making a Gustavus education as affordable as possible for students and their families,” President Ohle said. “The new pricing strategy and these latest rankings by Kiplinger’s show that Gustavus continues to be one of the best values in higher education in the country.”

Gustavus and the other schools included in the 2014 lists represent the colleges that provide high-quality academics at a reasonable cost during these continued tough economic times according to a Kiplinger’s press release. The colleges on the list exemplify the attributes parents and students look for in higher education, including small class sizes, a good freshman retention rate, and a high four-year graduation rate.

“With President Obama’s recent emphasis on rating colleges and universities based on their value, our rankings serve as a valuable resource to help students and families make more informed choices,” said Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. “Combining a high-quality education with an affordable price tag is a challenge, but the colleges on this year’s list offer the best of both worlds.”

Kiplinger’s rankings measure academic quality and affordability. Academic criteria include the student admission rate, the test scores of incoming freshmen, the ratio of students to faculty members, and the four- and five-year graduation rates. On the cost side, Kiplinger’s measures the sticker price, the availability and average amount of need-based and merit-based financial aid, and the average student debt at graduation.

The entire list of the top 100 liberal arts colleges can be found online on Kiplinger’s website.

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Media Contact: Director of Media Relations and Internal Communication Luc Hatlestad
luch@gustavus.edu
507-933-7510

 

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