Guidebook publisher The Princeton Review selects University of Richmond for 2014 Best Value book
College guide publisher The Princeton Review has selected University of Richmond for its 2014 list of 75 best value private colleges, praising its combination of academic opportunities of a large research university and advantages of a small liberal arts college.
The editors of the annual guide chose 150 colleges – 75 public and 75 private – they identified as “Best Values,” based on analysis of surveys of 2,000 undergraduate institutions in 2012-13 concerning their academics, cost and financial aid. The company also factored in data collected over the past three academic years from student satisfaction surveys. Each college is profiled in the companion book, “The Best Value Colleges: The 150 Best-Buy Schools and What It Takes to Get In.”
The Princeton Review has named Richmond a best value private university each year since the book’s debut in 2004. Other college guides naming Richmond a perennial best value in their rankings include U.S. News & World Report, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and The Wall Street Journal’s SmartMoney.
“The University of Richmond prides itself on its practice of need-blind admission, and this school invests a tremendous amount of time and money in making it possible for lower- and middle-income students to come here,” the book says. Publisher Robert Franek said the best value schools offer “outstanding academics and affordability, either via their comparatively low sticker prices or generous financial aid awards to students with need.”
“We are pleased by this recognition of the university’s excellent academic programs,” said Edward L. Ayers, Richmond’s president. “Our commitment to financial aid ensures that Richmond’s exceptional experience remains accessible to qualified students regardless of their financial circumstances.” The university recently announced “Richmond’s Promise to Virginia,” a program that provides a grant equal to full undergraduate tuition, room and board for accepted Virginia residents whose family income is $60,000 or below.
Ayers noted that Richmond’s unusual position as a liberal arts university allows it to offer undergraduates a broad liberal arts education bolstered by outstanding schools of business, law and leadership. He said that small classes and focus on undergraduate education enable students to work side by side with faculty who support their intellectual, creative and professional development.
Ayers also said Richmond’s numerous opportunities for international educational experiences as well as the UR Summer Fellowship program that supports summer research and internships give Richmond students a competitive advantage in admission to graduate and professional schools and on the job market.
The complete list of best value colleges is available online at http://www.princetonreview.com/best-value-colleges or at publishing partner USA Today’s website, http://bestvaluecolleges.usatoday.com
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