UW-Madison one of Kiplinger’s Top 10 best values – again!

For the second year in a row, the University of Wisconsin–Madison was ranked eighth in the nation for best values in public universities by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.

Kiplinger’s announced the rankings in its list of 100 best values in public colleges. In 2012 and 2013, UW–Madison ranked 13th.

For the second year in a row, UW–Madison’s net price has decreased for both in-state and out-of-state students, Kiplinger’s notes. The in-state sticker price rose 1.3 percent, but an increase in the average need-based-aid award dropped the average cost for in-state students from $12,636 to $10,820.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was deemed the nation’s top value among public colleges for the second year in a row.

Reviewing data from nearly 600 public four-year colleges and universities, Kiplinger’s assesses quality according to a number of measurable standards. Those include admission rates, the percentage of students who return for their sophomore years, student-faculty ratios and four-year graduation rates. Cost criteria include low sticker prices, abundant financial aid and low average debt at graduation.

Other Big 10 universities appearing on the list include the University of Michigan (6th), Ohio State University (15th), Purdue University (27th), the University of Minnesota (32nd), the University of Illinois (36th), Indiana University (40th), Rutgers University (43rd), Michigan State University (50th) and Penn State University (56th) and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (68th).