Centre News

Kiplinger's Personal Finance recently ranked Centre #16 on its
list of Best Values in Private Colleges. The ranking is based in
part on percentage of student debt — which, at Centre, is much
less than the national average.

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance announced this week it has ranked Centre College #16 on its list of the 200 Best Values in Private Colleges.

Centre improved its ranking by 15 places this year, up from last year’s spot at #31. According to Kiplinger’s, institutions like Centre that make repeat appearances on their lists are those colleges that “consistently deliver.”

“This recognition affirms Centre’s longstanding commitment to providing students with a top-quality education at an excellent value,” says Centre president John A. Roush.

The Kiplinger ranking comes out during a week saturated with news stories about record levels of student indebtedness. To reflect this trend, Kiplinger’s added a new subset this year to its category on student debt — percent of students who borrow. The lower the number in that area, the more points a college receives.

“At Centre, we believe quality and affordability can go hand-in-hand,” says Bob Nesmith, dean of admission and student financial planning for the College. “The average total loan debt for Centre graduates is thousands of dollars less than the national average for all undergraduates.”

Kiplinger’s attributes Centre’s top ranking to the College’s high four-year graduation rate, low average student debt at graduation, low student-faculty ratio, excellent on-campus resources and overall great value. Centre’s strong commitment to both need-based and merit-based aid makes it possible for 9 out of 10 students to pay less than its comparatively low price tag.

To arrive at their list of America’s 200 Best Values in Private Colleges, published annually for more than ten years, Kiplinger’s awards points based on cost and financial aid, competitiveness, academic support, graduation rates and student indebtedness. They weigh cost and aid most heavily, awarding the most points to schools with the lowest total costs, including tuition and fees.

Of the top twenty schools on Kiplinger’s list, only two have a total cost per year at less than $50,000 — Centre at #16 and Wheaton at #25. In fact, the average total cost per year for schools in Kiplinger’s 25 is $53,338 — almost $10,000 a year more than Centre’s total annual cost.

To find out more about Kiplinger’s 200 Best Values in Private Colleges, click here.

Have comments, suggestions, or story ideas? E-mail elizabeth.trollinger@centre.edu with your feedback.

Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Forbes magazine ranks Centre 24th among all the nation's colleges and universities and has named Centre No. 1 among all institutions of higher education in the South for two years in a row. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, click here.