UW named a ‘Best Value College’
Students packed the Kohl Center concourse during the Career & Internship Fair in September 2023. UW’s excellent career preparation helped it be named a “Best Value College” by Princeton Review. Photo: Taylor Wolfram
The University of Wisconsin–Madison was named one of Princeton Review’s 209 “Best Value Colleges,” which all “demonstrate impressive commitments to affordability via extremely generous financial aid for students with need and/or a comparatively low sticker price.”
Princeton Review gave UW–Madison a “Return on Investment” rating of 91/99, based on more than 40 data points that cover academics, affordability and career outcomes of graduates.
Among public schools, UW was ranked No. 22 for best value, No. 7 for best financial aid and No. 15 for best alumni networks.
“We have made it a priority to create access and opportunity for all students, including those with high financial need,” said Scott Owczarek, UW’s interim director of student financial aid. “By removing financial barriers to UW, we can keep top talent in Wisconsin.”
In addition to offering traditional financial aid, UW–Madison has started programs such as Bucky’s Tuition Promise, which guarantees scholarships and grants to cover tuition and segregated fees for Wisconsin resident students in need; Bucky’s Pell Pathway, which provides full-need funding for Wisconsin resident students who qualify for Pell grants; the Badger Promise, which assists Wisconsin transfer students.
The Princeton Review chose 209 schools that offer a great education, excellent career preparation and a relatively affordable price for the 2024 Best Value list. It used data from its surveys of administrators at more than 650 colleges in 2023-24 covering everything from academics, cost and financial aid to graduation rates and student debt.
The company also factored in data from its surveys of students attending the schools as well as data from PayScale.com’s surveys of alumni of the schools about their starting and mid-career salaries and job satisfaction.
Earlier this month, Money magazine gave UW–Madison 4.5 out of 5 stars on its 2024 list of Best Colleges, noting a below-average tuition for among the schools on the list and strong early-career earnings.
Tags: admissions, rankings, tuition
