University of Wisconsin students can feel a little more assured about the value of their education after Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine ranked UW as the ninth best value in public education.
UW ranked within the top 100 values in public education by Kiplinger, along with UW-La Crosse and UW-Eau Claire, and had the highest ranking in value out of all Big Ten universities.
Jane Bennett, senior associate editor at Kiplinger, said the magazine started by examining a combination of criteria pertaining to the academic programs and affordability of different universities when determining the rankings.
“Value is paramount in parents’ minds with the economy the way it is,” Bennett said. “Every family has to decide how it is going to spend its education dollars.”
UW increased its ranking in Kiplinger’s magazine from last year, moving up five slots from 14th to ninth, Bennett said.
Since last year’s ranking criteria, UW increased the amount of need-based financial aid it provides for students, which was a factor in its improvement in ranking, Bennett said. She added UW also has a relatively low cost of tuition.
“The affordability factor has made a difference,” Bennett said.
UW Provost Paul DeLuca said the kind of survey Kiplinger magazine did is based on the quality of admission and academic programs as well as the cost of education.
“The ranking reflects the respect the university enjoys for the quality of the education it provides and its discounted tuition rate in the context of tuition cost,” DeLuca said.
DeLuca added the combination of the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, a program designed to increase accessibility to and the value of an undergraduate degree, and the focus the university has taken on increasing funds for need-based aid has contributed to UW’s high ranking.
DeLuca said UW will continue to try to meet the financial aid needs of students in the future despite the fact that the university will be faced with financial hurdles.
“We are going to be going through some financial challenges going forward, but we are going to do our best to meet the needs of students,” DeLuca said.
