Western Washington University ranks among the top 100 public colleges and universities in the nation that offer the best "combination of outstanding academic quality and an affordable price tag," according to Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.
In its December issue, Kiplinger's magazine ranks Western 56th on its list of the 100 Best Values in Public Colleges in the United States for 2009. The magazine ranked Western 38th in 2008 and 48th in 2007.
"Western takes pride in offering a high-quality education at an affordable cost," said WWU President Bruce Shepard. "This is a direct result of the fine work by our faculty and staff to provide a collaborative and supportive learning environment in which all of our students can excel."
The rankings are based on data that more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities provided to determine the top 100.
"With the economic turmoil of 2008, families of all income levels are feeling the financial pinch," said Fred Frailey, editor of Kiplinger's. "But schools like these prove that an excellent education is still available at an affordable price."
The magazine, which has a circulation of about 1 million, ranked each school after an analysis of academic quality, including SAT scores, admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios and four- and six-year graduation rates.
Each school was then ranked based on cost and financial aid, including factors such as tuition, mandatory fees, room and board, estimated expenses for books, financial aid available and the average debt a student accumulates before graduation.
The schools each receive two rankings - based on best values for in-state and out-of-state students. Western ranks 56th for in-state and 66nd for out of state.
Two other public universities in the state of Washington also were on the list. The University of Washington ranks 11th and Washington State University 89th. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill tops the list.
Western ranks ahead of a number of major colleges and universities, including: Michigan State University; Purdue University; California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; the University of Missouri, Columbia; University of California, Santa Cruz, and the University of Oregon.
For more information about Kiplinger's rankings, see http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges/.
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 the 2009 U.S. News & World Report college rankings.