by Rod Jones
Oklahoma City University was named to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s list of the Top 300 Best College Values of 2016.
OCU earned a spot on the magazine’s list of 100 best values in private universities. The university’s ranking was 10 places higher than a year ago, from 73rd in the country up to 63rd out of 224 total schools considered.
Introduced in 1998, the rankings highlight public schools, private universities and private liberal arts colleges that combine outstanding academics with affordable cost. In addition, Kiplinger has ranked the top 100 best values in each category.
“Oklahoma City University is proud to provide an elite education at an exceptional value,” said President Robert Henry. “Our students receive a personalized education with a low student-to-faculty ratio, and almost all students receive some financial aid.”
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. Many schools, including OCU, have appeared on the list multiple times, a testament to the consistent value these colleges provide.
“We start with a universe of 1,200 schools, so each school on our rankings, from number 1 to number 300, is a best value,” said Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. “Families can use the list as a starting point and then tailor it to each student’s preference for such things as size, location, campus culture and major.”
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 website also has slide shows of the top 10 schools in different categories, archives of past years’ rankings and a FAQ page on the ranking methodology.
The complete rankings are now available online and will appear in print in the February 2016 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, on newsstands Jan. 5.
