Texas A&M University once again appears as one of the leading national colleges when it comes to academics and cost. The U.S. News & World Report has released their 2013 college and university rankings and one of the most important categories, in the current economic environment, is best value. The term is based on the academic performance of the school relative to the actual cost to the student after receiving need-based grants. The important thing to note is that only above average academic schools can be considered for the list. U.S. News doesn’t consider an average or below average education at a below average price much of a value.
Leading the group for value are the ivy-league schools which come in with a monstrous portfolio of academic achievements. Harvard, Yale and Princeton rank one, two, and three on the list, while Stanford and MIT round out the top five. While those seem unlikely candidates for the best value colleges, more than half the students enrolled are receiving need-based grants and the average tuition discount easily exceeds 60% and in some cases 70%.
Texas A&M University at College Station ranks a very respectable #19 on the list and is one of the few public schools to be represented. Roughly 16,500 of the 40,000 Aggies enrolled full-time are receiving aid grants or need-based scholarships. The in-state annual tuition cost is a modest $8,500 a year and the average amount awarded by grants and scholarships is $8,632.
Aiding the academics to value ratio, The Mays Business School and the Dwight Look College of Engineering are considered top 10 in their fields for public schools and escalate the University as a top 25 public school overall. “We are obviously pleased with our movement forward in the recent U.S. News rankings,” said Mays Business School Dean Jerry Strawser. “To be recognized among the top business schools in the country is an honor, and reflects the high quality of our students and faculty and the success of our students upon graduation.”