Bargain colleges in Maryland
Four Maryland colleges made Kiplinger’s Personal Finance list of the 100 Best Values at Public Colleges for 2008-2009.
Among them, University of Maryland, College Park. Here’s what Kiplinger’s says about the school: “But you should also admire the up-and-comers, such as the University of Maryland-College Park, which catapulted to number nine from number 28 last year, thanks to a lower student-faculty ratio and a big jump in graduation rates.” (ed note: woohoo, go Terps. -- DD UMCP 1994)
Kiplinger’s says it started with more than 500 public four-year schools across the country. Then it whittled that down to about 120 based on SAT scores, admission rates, student-faculty ratios and freshmen retention.
The next step, the magazine ranked schools based on cost — including room and board and books — and financial aid, including how much debt a student accumulates by graduation.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was No. 1 for in-state students; No. 3 for out-of-state students. North Carolinians pay $13,731 a year, or $4,960 after you factor in financial aid. Everyone else pays $30,629 or $21,858 after aid. Students leave the campus with an average debt of $14,912.
At No. 9 ranked Maryland, residents pay $17,848, or $12,414 after aid. Out-of-staters pay $32,087, or $26,653 after aid. Average debt at graduation is $18,958.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland ranked 32. Residents pay $22,420, or $11,316 after aid; Others pay $43,028, or $31,926 after aid. Average debt reached $15,808.
Salisbury University came in at 68. In-state students shell out $15,490, or $10,174 after aid. All others pay $23,792, or $18,476 after aid. Students leave with average debt of $17,669.
Towson University made the list at 90. In-state students pay $16,560 or $10,128 after aid; non-residents pay $27,106 or $20,174 after aid. Average debt: $11,844.
Of all four Maryland schools on the list, Towson was the most generous with aid. Towson's aid on average met 70 percent of the cost of college.
Check out the Kiplinger's article to find out what other schools made the list. Is there a school not on the list that you think was overlooked?
(Sun Photographer John Makely)
