Kiplinger’s Again Ranks WWU Among 100 Best Values
Western Washington University is one of the 100 best values in public colleges, according to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. The ranking, released today, cites four-year schools that combine outstanding education with economic value.
Kiplinger’s magazine ranks Western 89th on its list of the 100 Best Values in Public Colleges for 2016.
"Western is committed to offering an excellent education at an affordable cost,” said WWU President Bruce Shepard. “This is a direct result of the dedication of faculty and staff to provide a collaborative learning community where our students can develop their intellectual potential and achieve their goals.”
Western has appeared on the list multiple times, a testament to the consistent value the university offers. Western was 91st on the list for 2015; 93rd on the list in 2014; ranked 74th in 2013 and 81st in 2012.
Western also has consistently received strong rankings in U.S. News & World Report surveys of colleges and universities in the nation. Western is the highest ranking public, master’s-granting university in the Pacific Northwest, according to U.S. News & World Report college rankings.
Kiplinger’s Top 300 Best College Values of 2016 highlight public schools, private universities and private liberal arts colleges that combine outstanding academics with affordable cost. In addition, Kiplinger has ranked the top 100 best values in each category.
Kiplinger assesses value by measurable standards of academic quality and affordability. Quality measures include the admission rate, the percentage of students who return for sophomore year, the student-faculty ratio and four-year graduation rate. Cost criteria include sticker price, financial aid and average debt at graduation.
“We start with a universe of 1,200 schools, so each school on our rankings, from number 1 to number 300, is a best value,” said Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.
The complete rankings are now available online at Kiplinger.com/links/college and will appear in print in the February 2016 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, on newsstands Jan. 5.