SUNY Plattsburgh Ranked as a Top Value by Kiplinger's

According to a new study published in the February issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, SUNY Plattsburgh ranks 57th on the magazine's list of 100 Best Values in Public Colleges for out-of-state students. SUNY Plattsburgh also ranked 84th among public colleges on the list of best values for in-state students.

The magazine based the rankings on data that more than 500 four-year public colleges and universities provided to Thomson Peterson's, the leading provider of personalized solutions for education and career achievement and part of the Thomson Corporation.

"This ranking comes as no surprise to our College," said Dr. Robert Golden, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "Our academic quality, especially the quality of our dedicated and exceptional faculty, has given us a national reputation of excellence. When you add in the cost and financial aid factors, SUNY Plattsburgh provides an outstanding educational value for our students."

In particular, Kiplinger's focused on three criteria - academic quality, cost and financial aid - to arrive at its ratings. Schools that top Kiplinger's list are noteworthy for their combination of top-flight academics and affordable costs. The emphasis on academic strength is reflected in the scoring, with academic quality measurements carrying more weight than costs (almost two-thirds of the total).

Academic-quality factors include student-faculty ratios, four- and six-year graduation rates and SAT and ACT scores of entering freshmen. Cost factors include total cost, average cost (after subtracting grants, but not loans) and average debt of graduates.

Richard Higgins, director of admissions and associate vice president of enrollment management, said that the majority of students who enroll at SUNY Plattsburgh are academically competitive and obtain outstanding educational outcomes.

"This ranking illustrates that Plattsburgh State is viewed as a challenging environment without imposing the burden of significant college debt," said Higgins. "We have always been focused on student and graduation success, so to be honored by Kiplinger's as a best value sends a great message to prospective students and their parents."

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