Posted on Jan 11, 2006

Murray State University is Kentucky’s best value in higher education and one of the top 52 best values in America according to a 2006 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance study just reported online. Kiplinger officials announced the 100 Best Values in Public Colleges ranking this week, based on data from more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities provided to Thomson Peterson’s, a division of Thomson Learning. Thomson is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with operations in 45 countries. Kiplinger reported that the list of 500 was narrowed to 130 schools based on several measures of academic quality. The criteria included: percentage of freshman scoring 600 or higher on the verbal and math components of the SAT (or 24 or higher on the ACT); admission rates; freshman retention rates; student-faculty ratios; and four- and six-year graduation rates. “Then we ranked each school on cost and financial aid,” Kiplinger wrote, “comparing total cost for in-state students, average cost for a student with need after subtracting grants, average cost for a student without need after subtracting non-need-based grants, average percentage of need met by aid, and average debt a student accumulates before graduation.” To determine out-of-state rankings, Kiplinger officials ran the academic quality numbers again using total out-of-state costs and average costs after aid. The rating system rewarded schools that were academically strong as well as affordable, officials explained. “In our scoring, academic quality carried more weight than costs (almost two-thirds of the total). We used academic-quality scores and average debt at graduation to break ties,” they wrote. The competition focused on traditional four-year public universities with broad-based curriculums and on-campus housing. The “100 Best Values” in higher education are listed on the Kiplinger website (www.kiplinger.com/personalfinance/tools/colleges/methodology.html). Murray was the leading Kentucky university in the study, ranking 54th for in-state value and 52nd for out-of-state value. The University of Kentucky was also recognized, finishing 76th for in-state value and 64th for out-of-state. Murray State University has gained Kiplinger honors in the past, along with special recognition from Kaplan’s college guide, Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges, The Princeton Review, Money Guide, the Crime at College safety book, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education survey, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) “Student Success” study, and other competitive reviews. MSU is most noted for it continued high ranking by U.S.News & World Report, called “the heavyweight of college ranking services” by the Wall Street Journal. Murray State has received top honors by U.S.News for 15 consecutive years. Murray’s 11 consecutive years of enrollment growth and continued graduation rate increases have gained attention in higher education. The university has consistently exceeded the graduation goal set by Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education, leading all public regional universities in the commonwealth. In addition, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, headquartered in Washington, D.C., selected Murray as one of only 12 schools in the nation to be included as a model campus for graduation rate success. In March, a delegation visited the campus on behalf of AASCU to study Murray State’s successful methods.