Princeton Review and Kiplinger's Name SU a 'Best Value' College

SALISBURY, MD---USA Today and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine have confirmed what any student or parent likes to hear during these times of economic turmoil:  Salisbury University is a great value. 

Today, The Princeton Review, in partnership with USA Today, named SU among the Top 50 “Best Value” Public Colleges in the nation for 2009. In December 2008, Kiplinger’s also again named SU among its Top 100 “Best Values in Public Colleges.”

According to a USA Today feature, freshmen next fall will be the first to start college clearly in the midst of a recession—and that means that now, more than ever, students and parents need to make every education dollar count. Salisbury University and the other schools listed “go above and beyond” in providing an excellent, yet affordable education.

“To be named a best value in either of these publications would be impressive, but to be ranked among the nation’s best in both is a terrific accomplishment,” said SU Provost Tom Jones. “The credit goes not only to our faculty, who provide each of our 7,800 students with a quality education, but to our staff who make sure we are able to provide our students the services and facilities they need while keeping costs down. In difficult economic times, this combination helps SU stand out as a Maryland university of national distinction.”

Robert Franek, Princeton Review vice president-publisher, echoed this:  “The economic crisis and financial downturn have presented sobering challenges both to families struggling to afford college and to higher education institutions struggling to maintain their programs in the face of budget and funding shortfalls.” But, he added, these “Best Value” schools are recognized for all they are doing to provide outstanding academics at a relatively low cost.

The Princeton Review rankings are based on surveys from more than 650 colleges and universities nationwide. Some 30 factors related to academics, costs of attendance and financial aid were considered. SU is one of five Maryland institutions to make the list, including sister campuses University of Maryland Baltimore County and Towson.

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley said:  “I want to congratulate the students, faculty and administration of Towson University, Salisbury University and the University of Maryland Baltimore County for the extraordinary distinction among the top 50 'Best Value' public colleges in America by the Princeton Review.  Over the past two years, even in difficult economic conditions, we have continued to protect our shared priority of making quality, affordable higher education accessible to more Marylanders rather than fewer.”

The Kiplinger’s rankings are based on “a combination of outstanding academic quality and an affordable price tag.” Each institution receives two rankings:  For out-of-state costs SU is 55th, and for in-state costs SU is 68th. More than 500 public four-year institutions nationwide are surveyed. Academic quality, based on admission rates, freshman retention rates, student-faculty ratios and graduation rates, among other factors, carries more weight in the formula. SU is one of only four Maryland campuses in the Top 100.

Lists in both publications were topped by schools including the University of Virginia, the State University of New York–Binghamton, the College of William and Mary and the University of Georgia.

These accolades are the latest addition to SU’s national rankings. For the 10th consecutive year, SU is one of The Princeton Review’s The Best 368 Colleges, and also is among The Best Northeastern Colleges and “Great Schools for Communications Majors.”  For the 12th consecutive year, SU was named one of U.S. News & World Report’s Top Public Universities—Master’s category (North), maintaining its status as the highest-placing public master’s-level university in Maryland.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.