The New Year is off to a great start for the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, which has been named Kiplinger's best value public college for the tenth year in a row.
Though the total cost of a year at UNC comes in at around $17,000, in-state students are granted generous aid and graduate with comparatively low debt. UNC is followed in value by the University of Florida and the University of Virginia.
Kiplinger initially reviewed 500 schools using Peterson's/Nelnet data. After narrowing the list to around 120 schools based on academic quality -- using test scores, admission and persistence rates, student-faculty ratios, and graduation rates as their metrics -- Kiplinger evaluated the institutions based on cost, calculated by looking at tuition, compulsory fees, room and board, books and aid, including grants and other forms of aid and outstanding debt. Kiplinger offers their rankings according to both out-of- and in-state tuitions -- when looked at in terms of out-of-state tuition, SUNY Binghamton ranks first, followed by SUNY-Geneseo and UNC-Chapel Hill.
Below, see the thirteen best value public colleges based on in-state cost, and check out Kiplinger
