Kiplinger’s Personal Finance announces rankings
Vanderbilt University ranks in the Top 20 of private universities that deliver a high-quality education at an affordable price, according to rankings released by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.
Vanderbilt ranks No. 18 on the list to be published in Kiplinger’s December issue. The entire list may be accessed at http://www.kiplinger.com/.
“[rquote]Our commitment to offering qualified students an opportunity to attend Vanderbilt regardless of their financial circumstances has enriched the educational experience on many levels for all of us on campus[/rquote],” said Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos.
Zeppos announced in 2007 that Vanderbilt would replace need-based student loans with institutional grants and scholarships beginning in fall 2009 for all students with demonstrated financial need. As a result of an initiative to reduce student indebtedness, the university in recent years has increasingly used outright grants and scholarships rather than loans to meet students’ financial needs.
Kiplinger’s took into account student SAT and ACT scores; the student-per-faculty ratio; graduation rates; total cost for the academic year per student; cost after need-based aid; aid from grants; average debt after graduation and other factors for the rankings.
Two categories were ranked, private universities and liberal arts colleges. Princeton University ranked first for private universities and Swarthmore College topped the liberal arts colleges list.