Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State again is among the "100 Best Values in Public Colleges" in Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine.
In its February edition, the widely read publication ranks the land-grant university at 93rd in the nation, using costs for in-state students.
According to the magazine's editors, institutions deemed "best-value" are "noteworthy for their combination of top-flight academics and affordable costs."
To arrive at its rankings, the magazine considers the:
--Percentage of 2004-05 freshmen scoring 24 or higher on the ACT,
--Admission rates,
--Freshman retention rates,
--Student-faculty ratios, and
--Four- and six-year graduation rates.
Schools also are ranked on the basis of cost and financial aid. Factors here include tuition and fees, room and board, expenses for books, average cost after subtracting grants, average percentage of need met by aid, and average debt at graduation.
Kiplinger's calculates that MSU's total cost for in-state students is $11,071, or $7,713 after taking into account financial aid.
In 2002, Kiplinger listed the 128-year-old land-grant institution among its "100 Baccalaureate Bargains."
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For additional information, contact Bill Kibler, MSU vice president for student affairs, at (662) 325-3045 or billk@saffairs.msstate.edu; or associate vice president Lisa Harris at the same telephone number or lharris@saffairs.msstate.edu.