Binghamton ranked in top 10 by Kiplinger’s ‘Personal Finance’

Binghamton University is once again ranked among the nation’s top 10, according to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance on the magazine’s new list of 100 Best Values in Public Colleges.

For the third year in a row, Binghamton is ranked No. 1 for out-of-state students, making it the most affordable university in the nation for non-New York students. Binghamton is also ranked sixth for in-state students, making it the top buy for New Yorkers. The annual public school rankings appear in Kiplinger’s February 2011 issue—on newsstands Tuesday, Jan. 4, and online at www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges.

“I am very pleased that Binghamton University has once again been recognized for its academic excellence and value,” said Interim President C. Peter Magrath. “We consistently rank among the elite public institutions because of our excellent reputation and the quality of our students, faculty and staff. Binghamton works very hard to be an exceptional university and these rankings validate those efforts.”

Selected from a pool of over 500 public four-year colleges and universities, the Kiplinger’s rankings combine a first-class education with outstanding economic value. Measurements of academic quality, which account for about two-thirds of a campus’ score, include factors such as SAT or ACT scores; admission, retention and graduation rates; and student-faculty ratios. Schools are also ranked on total expenses, as well as average costs after aid and average debt.

According to Kiplinger’s, private colleges have recently averaged almost $36,000 a year—a sharp contrast to the public schools on the top 100 list, of which 20 charge the same or less than the average annual in-state sticker price of roughly $16,140. Plus, the deals aren’t restricted to in-state students. At Binghamton University, which takes the top spot in value for out-of-state students, non-New Yorkers pay $26,535 a year, less than the national average of $28,130.

Other public universities on Kiplinger’s top 10 best values list include the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Florida, the University of Virginia and the College of William and Mary.

Binghamton University has appeared regularly in the top 10 on Kiplinger’s Personal Finance best values in public college rankings and consistently features among the elite top-50 public national universities in publications such as U.S. News & World Report, the Fiske Guide to Colleges and the Princeton Review.