UNC Asheville continues to stand with some of the nation's finest colleges in popular college rankings. The annual "Fiske Guide to Colleges" released its 2009 list of Best Buys of American and Canadian colleges earlier this month. UNC Asheville is alone among public colleges in Western North Carolina to earn a spot on the list. It is the 15th consecutive year that UNC Asheville has been named a Best Buy.

The Fiske Guide praised UNC Asheville as "one of the best educational bargains in the country," citing rigorous academics, small classes, internships, service-learning, undergraduate research and Integrated Liberal Studies, the University's enhanced general academic curriculum.

In addition, for the fifth consecutive year, UNC Asheville's Environmental Studies Department was named to the Fiske Guide's listing of preprofessional programs with "unusual strength" in preparing students for careers.

The guidebook says, "All the right ingredients for a superior college experience lie in wait at Asheville: strong academics, dedicated professors, and an administration that continues to push for excellence."

Professors drew high marks for their accessibility, passion and experience.

"I don't think I can voice how awesome the teaching has been during my four years here," said one senior interviewed by the guide. "They make class interesting and are always helping students outside of class."

Residence life, outdoor recreational opportunities, athletics, Founders Day, homecoming and Greenfest were among features commended for rounding out the college experience.

The only other North Carolina public institution named to the Best Buy list was UNC Chapel Hill. Warren Wilson College and Elon University earned places on the private school list.