Four ´óÄ̸£Àû¼§Schools Again Named 'Best Values in Public Colleges' by Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Adelphi, Md. (Jan. 4, 2013) -- Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine has again named several ´óÄ̸£Àû¼§ (USM) institutions to its list of "100 Best Values in Public Colleges" for 2013. The magazine notes that the campuses it selects "deliver academic quality and affordability."

The ´óÄ̸£Àû¼§schools honored are the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), Salisbury University, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and Towson University.

UMCP ranked 5th among four-year institutions for in-state students, drawing praise for providing outstanding education at an affordable price for in-state students. UMCP's ranking reflects a steady climb in Kiplinger's evaluation, an improvement from 8th last year and 28th in 2008.

"Some credit goes to a four-year tuition freeze, which ended in 2010 but helped Maryland leap-frog its tuition-raising peers. In-staters pay an average of $12,499 after need," Kiplinger's wrote.  "The 2014-15 academic year will see Maryland leave the Atlantic Coast Conference to join the Big Ten. The change promises to affect both athletic match-ups and gain UMD entry into the Big Ten's Committee on Institutional Cooperation, 15 schools that share resources, such as library materials, study abroad

Salisbury University attained a 72nd ranking for in-state students, making the "100 Best Values" list for the fifth straight year.

UMBC and Towson attained rankings of 78th and 84th, respectively, for in-state students. UMBC's out-of-state "best values" ranking was 61st.

Kiplinger's determines its rankings with a combination of measures, including student-faculty ratios, student debt levels after graduation, and retention and graduation rates.

The Kiplinger's report data can be accessed at .

Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu