Saint Michael’s again a Kiplinger’s Best Value

Saint Michael’s College has been named to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s list of the Top Best College Values of 2018. Schools making the list “embody exceptional academic quality and affordability,” according to Kiplinger’s. Saint Michael’s also was a Kiplinger’s Best College Value of 2017 and 2016.

Introduced in 1998, the rankings highlight public schools, private universities and private liberal arts colleges that combine outstanding academics with affordable cost, and this year again combine those three categories into a single, comprehensive list. In addition, Kiplinger has ranked the top best values in each category, and Saint Michael’s earned a spot on the magazine’s list of “best values in private universities.”

Kiplinger assesses value by measurable standards of academic quality and affordability. Quality measures include the admission rate, the percentage of students who return for sophomore year, the student-faculty ratio and four-year graduation rate. Cost criteria include sticker price, financial aid and average debt at graduation.

“I’m thrilled to see Saint Michael’s included on the Kiplinger’s Best Value list again this year,” said Michael Stefanowicz, Saint Michael’s director of admission. “What a wonderful accolade that celebrates our campus-wide commitment to a high quality liberal arts education, as well as the innovation and care that are characteristic of our focus on affordability and retention.”

“Our rankings, which weigh affordability alongside academic quality, are a great resource for students and their parents when sorting through college choices,” said Mark Solheim, editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. “We start with a universe of nearly 1,200 schools and trim the list using measures of academic quality. We then rank the schools based on cost and financial aid data. All 300 schools on our list are worth a look.”

At Kiplinger.com, visitors have access to the “Find the Best College for You” tool and other tools that let readers sort by admission rate, average debt at graduation and other criteria for all schools, plus in-state and out-of-state cost for public universities.

The complete rankings are now available online at kiplinger.com/links/colleges and will appear in print in the February 2018 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.