William and Mary Remains in Top 5; James Madison, Virginia Tech, Mary Washington, George Mason and Christopher Newport all Included in Top 100 Ranking

UVA's Lambeth House, currently used by the Curry School of Education, sits on picturesque Dell Pond. The house was built in 1912 and overlooks formal gardens. Photo by KJ Mushung

Press Release

The University of Virginia improved to the number two spot on the “best value in public colleges” list in the annual Kiplinger ranking of the top 100 schools. Other Virginia schools ranked in the top 100 include the College of William and Mary (4), James Madison University (20), Virginia Tech (28), University of Mary Washington (53), George Mason University (56) and Christopher Newport University (87).

The ranking comes after Gov. Bob McDonnell and college presidents announced that yearly tuition increases at Virginia colleges had fallen to a decade-low. The drop in tuition increases was made possible by an additional investment of $230 million in the 2012-14 Biennial Budget.

Prior to moving up in the 2012 rankings, UVA had been ranked #3 for several years. The University of Virginia and the College of William and Mary were the only schools in Kiplinger’s top 100 values that had 4-year graduation rates above 80 percent.

Speaking about the Kiplinger ranking, McDonnell said, “As a father of five, I know very well how expensive college is, and the burden that expense puts on families and students. While there is much work left to be done, this Kiplinger ranking reaffirms our efforts to make our world-class public colleges more affordable and accessible to all Virginia students. This year, I asked the General Assembly for a substantial investment in higher education and asked university presidents to limit increases in tuition; increases that had risen 91 percent over the last decade. They responded with decade-low increases. I commend the university presidents and administrations on this most recent recognition of the tremendous value of Virginia’s institutions of higher education. These great value schools will continue to provide our young people with the foundation for future success and opportunity.”

The governor has included an additional $31 million in his proposed budget amendments for the upcoming General Assembly session to make college more affordable and support enrollment growth at Virginia schools. Among his proposals, is additional funding in FY2014 for the Tuition Assistance Grant (TAG) program, which provides grants to Virginia students attending Virginia-based private, not-for-profit higher education institutions.

By: Contributing Author

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