UNC again named ‘best value in public colleges’

UNC has once again been ranked the best value in U.S. public higher education.

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine has placed UNC at the top of its “Best Values in Public Colleges” list all eight times since it began the list in 1998. UNC held the spot this year despite budget reductions across campus.

The list seeks to rank colleges that “deliver strong academics at reasonable prices,” according to the accompanying article in the magazine’s February issue.

Kiplinger’s top public school values

1. UNC-Chapel Hill

2. University of Florida

3. University of Virginia

4. College of William and Mary

5. Binghamton University

6. University of Georgia

7. University of Washington 

8. University of Maryland, College Park

9. SUNY Geneseo

10. N.C. State University

UNC is described as an “academic superstar that competes with the Ivies.”

The rankings place emphasis on financial aid provided by each school. UNC is noted for its strong state support for financial aid. The number of financial aid applications have increased 17 percent since last year. The number of University students qualifying for financial aid also rose 23 percent. 

Shirley Ort, associate provost and director of scholarships and student aid, is quoted in the Kiplinger article emphasizing the importance of UNC’s growing financial aid support from the state over the past few years. She mentions that financial aid is “still in an improved spot over the previous year” despite cuts to funding. Chancellor Holden Thorp also focused on financial aid in a blog post about the ranking.

“Support from the General Assembly is a big reason why we stay at the top of such rankings,” Thorp said in the post.

“The Kiplinger’s piece is a tribute to the quality of our students and faculty, as well as the commitment to accessibility that we are proud to keep.”

State appropriations make up roughly a fourth of the University’s budget — a much larger share than its peer schools. But budget cuts to state appropriations still reached 11 percent last year, creating a budget gap of about $171 million.

UNC’s reaction to those cuts was a large factor in its ranking, administrators said. That reaction included focusing cuts away from academic areas and the hiring of outside financial consultants Bain & Company, they said.

Bain spent months conducting interviews and looking at business practices on campus in one of its first reviews of a school. Its recommendations could save an estimated $161 million a year altogether, and are being chosen and implemented by the Carolina Counts project.

Other schools, such as the University of California-Berkeley, are now taking similar steps with outside consultants to find ways to save. UNC also ranked third for best out-of-state value. Binghamton University is ranked as the best out-of-state value and fifth in-state.

Five other UNC-system schools were ranked in the top 100: North Carolina State University, 10th; Appalachian State University, 22nd; UNC-Wilmington, 27th; UNC-Asheville, 44th; and UNC School of the Arts, 61st. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine has been in publication since 1947 and has a circulation of 800,000 copies per month.

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.