Colorado State University is one of the best value colleges in the state according to a new report from New York-based SmartAsset, a data and technology firm that provides tools and reports to help people make financial decisions.
Among top universities
Among Colorado universities ranking in the top three in the state, CSU was second only to the Colorado School of Mines with the University of Colorado Boulder coming in third. CSU ranked 61st nationally, while the Colorado School of Mines ranked second and CU-Boulder ranked 140th.
SmartAsset looked at five factors to determine the best value colleges and universities: tuition, student living costs, scholarship and grant offerings, retention rate, and starting salary after graduation. Each of the five factors was weighted equally to come up with a ranking of schools in the analysis.
To view the full list of Colorado’s universities and colleges ranked in the report, visit the website.
2015 Kiplinger ‘Best Value’
The SmartAsset “best value” ranking follows CSU’s ranking in the top 100 of Kiplinger’s 2015 list of Best Values in Public Colleges.
CSU was one of only three colleges in the state listed as a “best value” by Kiplinger’s. The University of Denver and Colorado College also were included in the rankings.
The criteria used for the ranking are the overall quality of education and affordability. Kiplinger’s evaluates data from nearly 1,200 public and private four-year schools and narrows the list based upon measures of academic quality. Each school is then ranked using cost and financial aid measures. Academic quality accounts for 55 percent of the ranking and cost criteria accounts for 45 percent of the ranking.
