Centre named best value by Kiplinger's magazine

RELEASED: April 24, 2008

DANVILLE, KY—In a time of rising higher education costs, Centre College remains one of the most affordable private institutions in the nation. In a study published in the April 2008 issue of "Kiplinger's Personal Finance" magazine, Centre is ranked 30th in best values among all U.S. private liberal arts colleges. Kiplinger's rankings were divided into two lists—top-50 best values in private universities and top-50 best values in private liberal arts colleges. Centre was the only Kentucky institution to be ranked in either list.

"It's gratifying to see Centre recognized as a top-50 best value," says Carey Thompson, vice president for enrollment and student planning services. "With a strong endowment and outstanding annual alumni support for financial aid and scholarship assistance, Centre is a national leader in providing an outstanding student experience for deserving students of all backgrounds."

Kiplinger's looked at more than 1,000 private four-year colleges and universities to determine the best combination of academic excellence, generous financial aid packages and lower total costs. The final list was narrowed down to the top-100 best value institutions. The top five "best value" private universities were California Institute of Technology, Yale, Princeton, MIT and Rice. The top five "best value" private liberal arts colleges were Swarthmore, Williams, Amherst, Wellesley and Pomona.

Centre offers need-based financial aid and merit-based scholarships to a majority of its students. More than 80 percent of Centre students receive financial assistance, nearly 60 percent receive need-based financial aid and more than half receive merit-based scholarships.

In addition, "Consumer's Digest" magazine ranks Centre the No. 1 educational value among U.S. liberal arts colleges. The College was also included in "America's Best Value Colleges" by "The Princeton Review" and ranked overall in the top 50 of national liberal arts colleges by "U.S. News and World Report." Among institutions in the U.S. News top 50, Centre is the most affordable.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. 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, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.