UNIVERSITY PARK — Kiplinger’s Personal Finance named Penn State as one of the 100 Best Values in Public Colleges for 2013-14, recognizing the University among four-year schools that combine outstanding education with economic value.
The magazine ranked Penn State as No. 53 in the annual listing, which was released Dec. 10. The ranking reflects schools’ value for in-state students.
Kiplinger’s also compiles out-of-state value rankings, with Penn State ranked 41.
Kiplinger’s assesses quality according to a number of standards, including admission rates, test scores of incoming freshmen, freshman retention rate, student-faculty ratios, and four- and six-year graduation rates. Cost criteria include tuition and fees, room and board, financial aid available and student loan debt at graduation.
Penn State was one of only three Pennsylvania universities to make the list, with the University of Pittsburgh and West Chester University of Pennsylvania. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked No. 1.
The full rankings are available online at www.kiplinger.com/links/college.