Kiplinger ranks Rice high for quality academics and low student debt

BY DAVID RUTH
Rice News staff

For the fourth year in a row, Rice University is ranked No. 4 on the list of best values in private universities and colleges by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.

The rankings for 2011-12, released this week, measure academic quality and affordability. In addition, Kiplinger adjusted its criteria this year to better reflect other issues affecting families. The rankings now give more weight to the four-year graduation rate — a measure of the college’s ability to deliver academic support and keep down the total cost to families — and to colleges that keep student debt down. While the criteria have shifted, the overall focus on value remains the same.

Princeton, Yale and Cal Tech were the top three schools on the list, and Harvard rounded out the top five.

According to Kiplinger’s, “Rice and the other schools included in the 2011-2012 lists represent the colleges that are providing high-quality academics, in addition to great cost value even during these tough economic times. These private colleges exemplify the traits parents and students want when looking into higher education options: small class sizes, many financial aid options, high four-year graduation rate and low debt for students after graduation.”

Consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 research universities by U.S. News and World Report, Rice admits students regardless of their ability to pay and provides financial aid packages that meet 100 percent of their demonstrated need. At Rice, freshmen who qualify for need-based aid and whose family annual income is $80,000 or less are not required to take out loans to pay for their education. And Rice has a $10,000 limit on loans in financial aid packages for other need-eligible incoming freshmen for their four undergraduate years.

With 3,708 undergraduates and 2,374 graduate students, Rice’s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is less than 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason Rice has been ranked No. 1 for best quality of life for three straight years by the Princeton Review.

The annual private-school report appears in Kiplinger’s December issu