'Kiplinger's' Magazine Names SU Among 100 Best Values

SALISBURY, MD---Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine has named Salisbury University one of its 2006 100 Best Values in Public Colleges.  Campuses listed “are noteworthy for their combination of top-flight academics and affordable costs,” the magazine said.  Academic quality carries more weight in the formula Kiplinger’s uses.

Each institution receives two rankings based on several factors, including out-of-state and in-state costs. SU’s out-of-state ranking is 41st among the top 100.  Its in-state ranking is 62nd, improving from 75th during the magazine’s last poll of public campuses in 2003.  More than 500 institutions nationwide are surveyed.

“We’re pleased Kiplinger’s is recognizing the results of the hard work of our dedicated faculty and staff,” said SU Provost David Buchanan. “It’s no accident that Salisbury has the highest four-year graduation rate in the University System of Maryland. Kiplinger’s verifies what we have often said, students and taxpayers are getting value for their investment at Salisbury.”

The magazine based its rankings on several factors including percentage of the 2004-05 freshman class scoring 600 or higher on the verbal and math components of the SAT (or scoring 24 or higher on the ACT), admission rates, freshman retention rates, student-faculty ratios, and four- and six-year graduation rates, among others.

Two other Maryland campuses are among the top 100: the University of Maryland College Park and St. Mary’s College of Maryland.  The top 100 also includes the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the College of William and Mary, and the University of Michigan.

The accolade is the latest addition to SU’s 2006 list of national rankings:  one of the top 10 public institutions in the North among its peers by U.S. News & World Report, one of the “Best 361 Colleges” by The Princeton Review and one of the “367 Most Interesting Schools” in Newsweek-Kaplan’s America’s Hottest Colleges.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu. "