Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State is being recognized again by Kiplinger magazine as one of the top 100 "best values" among the nation's public colleges and universities.
Ranked at 87, the 129-year-old land-grant university is one of two state institutions listed by the personal finance magazine, which each year provides the ranking based on its assessment of more than 500 schools. Mississippi University for Women also is rated in the report.
Selected schools are "noteworthy for their combination of top-flight academics and affordable costs," the publication's editors said.
In compiling its "best values," Kiplinger's considers academic measures that include freshman retention rates, student-faculty ratios, and four- and six-year graduation rates. Measures of cost include total and average costs, as well as average percentage of need met by financial aid.
The 60-year-old monthly publication places greater emphasis on academic quality, noting that "we were looking for schools that were academically strong as well as affordable," the editors explained in their introduction to the report.
"We're proud that Mississippi State continues to offer an outstanding return on investment and a great education for our students," said MSU President Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.