UNC Asheville Named a Top Ten Best Value Public College by The Princeton Review

Parents and students are facing the possibility of astronomical costs and years of debt as they shop for colleges this spring. With that in mind, The Princeton Review has released its 2007 edition of America’s Best Value Colleges, featuring 150 U.S. colleges and two Top 10 Best Value Colleges lists, one for public colleges and one for private schools.

UNC Asheville is ranked sixth in the nation among the Top 10 Best Value Public Colleges. The only other North Carolina university making the Top 10 public roster is North Carolina State University, ranked second. Others on the Top 10 public colleges list include the New College of Florida, the University of Virginia and the University of California-Berkeley. No North Carolina colleges or universities are included on the Top 10 list of best value private colleges.

Overall, the book’s 150 colleges – 103 public and 47 private – were judged to offer excellent academics, generous financial aid packages and relatively low costs. The Princeton Review based its decisions on data obtained from administrators at 646 colleges and survey responses from students attending them. Some 30 factors were considered in rating the colleges in four categories: academics, tuition, financial aid and student borrowing.

The Princeton Review is the latest in a number of noteworthy rankings UNC Asheville has received. Last fall, UNC Asheville was ranked the fifth best public liberal arts university in America by U.S. News & World Report. The University is also one of just 17 public colleges and universities in the United States and Canada to be named a best buy in The Fiske Guide to Colleges.