UB is ranked No. 15 among national universities in the magazine's ranking of institutions in that category that provide the best value in terms of "sticker price," which includes tuition plus room, board and fees.

The university moved up one spot on this year's list, having ranked No. 16 when U.S. News & World Report last year published its first ranking of schools that provide the best value. The best-value ranking will be published in a special section on financing college in the magazine's Sept. 25 issue.

"We are glad to see UB move up a notch," said President William R. Greiner. "We think UB should move up a notch. We are working harder than ever to give our students more for their money, and that's a trend that will continue. Even with the state's budget constraints, we are managing to preserve very high quality academic offerings at UB."

He added: "As this ranking indicates, we are in the company of some of the nation's 'powerhouse publics,' like UCLA and Illinois and Rutgers. We do the same kind of sophisticated undergraduate education; we do it very well.

"We do it with a broader range of academic opportunities than other SUNY institutions, yet we do it in a setting that's smaller than most comparable universities-we don't have 30,000 or 40,000 students, we have about 20,000. And we do all that at a low cost by comparison with many of those institutions, and certainly at a low cost in comparison to similar private institutions here in New York."

With a sticker price of $12,324, UB ranks in the U.S. News & World Report list ahead of such national public research institutions as Pennsylvania State University, the University of Virginia, the University of California at Berkeley and University of Michigan.

Also, in the magazine's first-ever ranking of the top 50 undergraduate business programs at U.S. universities, the UB School of Management has been ranked No. 48. The determination of this country's 50 best business schools was based on a reputational survey of business-school deans and administrators.

Frederick W. Winter, dean of the UB School of Management, said his school's ranking is particularly noteworthy in light of budget cuts confronting it and the university. "Given the New York State budget realities," he added, "we're heartened to remain as a Top 50 business school, especially in light of the increased competitiveness among the more than 1,000 business programs at colleges and universities in the U.S."

Winter noted that "based on some comparative research of other highly ranked programs, the UB School of Management is one of the most-if not the most-efficient business schools in terms of resources provided per student.

"The creativeness of our faculty and staff, the continued high quality of our students and the backing of the business community has allowed us to maintain and even advance our position in some areas. Like most successful businesses, we're committed to serving the needs of our customers-students, alumni and employers-while carrying out the mission of a major research university."