SUNY New Paltz among Kiplinger’s top best value public colleges in the nation

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine has named the State University of New York at New Paltz to its 2014 lists of “30 Best College Values in the Mid-Atlantic” and “25 Best College Values Under $30,000 a Year.” The rankings cite public colleges in the nation that combine an outstanding education with great economic value.

New Paltz made the list of 10 ranked public universities in the Mid-Atlantic listing, along with 10 private universities and 10 liberal arts colleges. New Paltz ranked was No. 17 in the nation in the second ranking.

New Paltz was one of only two SUNY campuses included in both rankings.

“We take great pride in being nationally recognized for delivering a quality education at an exceptional value,” said L. David Eaton, vice president of enrollment management at SUNY New Paltz. “This testimonial is yet another reflection of our commitments to access, quality, and affordability.”

To assess quality, Kiplinger’s uses a number of measurable standards, including the admissions rate, the percentage of students who return for sophomore year, the student-faculty ratio and the four-year graduation rate. Cost criteria include low tuition, abundant financial aid and low average debt at graduation.

According to Kiplinger’s, the new College Finder allows users to easily sort Kiplinger’s Best College Value rankings—including public and private universities and liberal arts colleges—with a variety of filters. Users can narrow their search by college type, region, graduation rate, school size, admission rate, annual cost, financial-aid generosity, average debt at graduation and more.

“Our annual rankings focus on the best value schools, recognizing those that maintain academic integrity and standards while meeting the financial needs of their students,” said Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. “This new tool allows students to select which qualities are most important to their decision, ultimately choosing the school that represents the best value for their specific needs.”

New Paltz is consistently ranked among the nation’s top public colleges in a variety of categories. In 2013, Affordable Colleges Online ranked New Paltz No. 2 in its list of “Top 50 Affordable Colleges with a High ROI,” a list of the nation’s most affordable colleges with the biggest return on investment (ROI); and the College Database selected New Paltz for inclusion in its “Top 50 public colleges and universities for best lifetime degree value,” a list of the nation’s college’s with the greatest lifetime return on investment (ROI). New Paltz ranked No. 5 and was one of only three SUNY campuses included in this national ranking, and the only one in the top 10. Additionally, the college ranked 6th among best public regional universities in New England and the Mid-Atlantic with both bachelor’s and master’s degree programs according to U.S. News & World Report.

Kiplinger’s 2014 ranking are available online.