UNC Asheville was named a "Best Value" by Princeton Review

Rising costs in today's challenging economy has pushed up the price of everything from gas to groceries. But there are still great values to be found in higher education, according to "Best Value Colleges for 2010" ranking released today from the Princeton Review.

UNC Asheville was among just 50 institutions nationwide named to the "Best Value" Public Colleges list. The Princeton Review also published a 50 "Best Value" Private Colleges list, for a total of 100 colleges in all. UNC Asheville was the only college or university in Western North Carolina to make the list. This is the fourth year that UNC Asheville has been selected by the Princeton Review as one of the 50 best value public colleges in the country.

According to the Princeton Review, the schools that made the "Best Value" list are "first-rate institutions offering outstanding academics at a relatively low cost of attendance and/or generous financial aid."

The Princeton Review praised UNC Asheville's growing national academic reputation, noting that the University provides "students a private school experience at a public school cost." It also favorably notes the University's numerous academic options, small class size and strong focus on the liberal arts. The ranking applauds UNC Asheville's accessible faculty and the diverse offering of student activities both on and off campus.

The Princeton Review selected the top 100 institutions as its "Best Value" choices for 2010 based on its surveys of administrators and students at more than 650 public and private colleges and universities. The selection criteria covered more than 30 factors in three areas: academics, costs of attendance, and financial aid, using the most recently reported data from each institution for the 2008-09 academic year.

UNC Asheville consistently ranks as one of the nation's best values in higher education. It has made the Fiske Guide to Colleges' "Best Buy" list for the past 16 years and is among the Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine's 100 best value public colleges and universities. And according to U.S. News & World Report's current college rankings, UNC Asheville is among the top 25 liberal arts colleges in the nation whose students graduated with the least debt in 2008.

To see the complete list of "Best Values," click on www.princetonreview.com/best-value-colleges.aspx.