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UNC Fifth Among Princeton Review’s Best Value Colleges

The Princeton Review takes many factors into its ranking on return on investment. Included among the 40 points of data it considers are affordability, career preparation and academic rigor. (File photo)

Carolina is fifth among the nation’s public universities in The Princeton Review’s 2021 list of the “Best Value Colleges.”

The college admissions service company ranked 650 academic institutions, dividing them into public and private categories. Carolina appears in the top five for the best return on investment among public institutions.

The four schools ranked above Carolina are Cal-Berkeley, Virginia, Georgia Tech and Cal-San Diego. Following Carolina, the other institutions rounding out the top 10 are UCLA, Cal-Santa Barbara, Michigan, Texas-Austin and Florida.

“The colleges that we designate as our ‘Best Values’ this year are truly a select group: They comprise only about 1.2 percent of the four-year undergraduate institutions in the U.S.,” said Rob Franek, editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review. “These exceptional schools differ in many ways, yet they are alike in that all offer outstanding academics and excellent career services. As important to today’s college applicants and their parents: These colleges have a comparatively low sticker price and/or generous financial aid offerings. We recommend and commend them highly for everything their administrators, faculties, staff and alumni are doing to educate their students and to guide them to post-college success.”

Carolina ranked second on the list of public universities for financial aid and fifth among best value public colleges for students with no demonstrated financial need. In addition, Carolina is listed as eighth among public universities for making an impact.

The Princeton Review takes many factors into its ranking on return on investment. Included among the 40 points of data it considers are affordability, career preparation and academic rigor. Scholarships play a significant part of that affordability factor.

UNC consistently ranks among the best universities in value, including topping Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s best college value list 18 consecutive times. In March, UNC also was named the top large university in the South by The Wall Street Journal.


 

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