St. Mary’s College of Maryland has once again ranked among the top 50 on Kiplinger’s Personal Finance list of 100 best values in public colleges for 2014. The ranking cites four-year schools that combine outstanding education with economic value.
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance has ranked the top values in public colleges since 1998, and St. Mary’s College has appeared on the list consistently since then. Kiplinger’s assesses quality based on a number of measurable standards, including admissions and retention rates, student-faculty ratio, four-year graduation rate, cost and financial aid.
St. Mary’s College is one of only two public honors colleges in the nation. Dedicated to providing an affordable liberal arts education for a diverse student body, the college has the highest graduation rate of any public college or university in the state. Within five years of graduation, 70% of its alumni pursue a graduate and/or professional degree. St. Mary’s College also boasts a 90% first-to-second year retention rate based on the fall 2012 class.
The annual list of 100 best values in public colleges appears in Kiplinger’s February 2014 issue—on newsstands December 31, 2013—and online now at kiplinger.com/links/college.