UB’s “Best Value” Rank Improves, Kiplinger’s says

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo’s standing among colleges that provide a quality education at an affordable price continues to climb, according to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.

UB ranks 33rd in the magazine’s 2013 list of the 100 Best Values in Public Colleges. UB ranked 38th last year, 46th in 2011 and 70th in 2010.

“Just as we are committed to building a first-class public research institution, the University at Buffalo is also committed to providing a high-quality and affordable education to its students,” Provost Charles Zukoski said. “We are pleased to be recognized for our efforts as we continue to make UB one of the nation’s great public institutions of higher learning.”

Kiplinger’s started with a pool of nearly 600 public four-year schools. It ranks institutions based on SAT or ACT scores, admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios, graduation rates, as well as financial aid and student debt upon graduation. Measures of academic quality carry more weight than measures of affordability.

UB’s score improved “thanks to its high four-year graduation rate, low average student debt at graduation, abundant financial aid, a low sticker price and overall great value,” according to Kiplinger’s. More information — as well as sortable school rankings and other interactive features — will be available on newsstands in Kiplinger’s February 2013 issue and online at www.kiplinger.com/links/college.

UB was listed among the top 20 schools nationwide for graduating students with the “least debt” in September by U.S. News and World Report. Earlier this year, the university launched Finish in 4, a program that pledges to provide incoming freshmen with the academic resources they need to graduate in four years.

The Kiplinger’s ranking comes as UB, buoyed by the NYSUNY 2020 bill signed into law last year by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, continues to execute the UB 2020 strategic plan. The plan calls for enhanced educational and research excellence, improved health care for Western New York and creation of an innovation economy that will spur regional job growth.