The Princeton Review, an organization that ranks and reviews colleges nationwide, determined that N.C. State is the second “best value” for public colleges in the U.S. in the 2007 edition of America’s Best Value Colleges book published on March 28.
The University made the list the past two years, but this is the first time it cracked the top ten.
According to Suzanne Podhurst, the senior editor of America’s Best Value Colleges, 646 colleges were considered for the list and only 150 made the cut this year.
In the public school category, the University is second only to the New College of Florida.
Podhurst said the rankings are based on 30 different factors in conjunction with surveys taken by students about their respective colleges.
“Some of those factors are academic quality, tuition, room, board, student fees, financial aid, fee money and average debt of students after graduation,” she said.
She also mentioned that more than 110,000 students at the “best colleges across America” are surveyed for the publication.
The point of the reviews and rankings, Podhurst indicated, are to assist students in making the right decision about college and graduate school.
“Our main mission is to help students identify the best college for them,” she said.
Thuong Nguyen, a freshman in history, said she has spoken with full-time students who work 20 hours or more a week. She said she has seen students “work hard and dedicate their time and effort into their education.”
“Academically, I think N.C. State values the education that is entitled to the students when they pay their tuition,” Nguyen said. “They want the best out of it and will work to achieve whatever goal they have.”
Chancellor James Oblinger said he is pleased with the recognition from the Princeton Review.
“I was elated because I think anytime you are picked up by a known national publication that is doing rankings it is a good thing — particularly if you are ranked well,” he said.
He added that after he heard about the honor, his first question was “who else is on the list?”
Oblinger made note of the University’s company in the top ten citing Texas A&M, the University of California-Berkely and the University of Virginia.
“It is a symbol of the company you keep — who are you in there with and why you are in there with them,” he said.
He indicated that the accolade is exceptionally outstanding based on the size of the University.
“I was very proud — I think for us to be the top-listed public [school] of our size compared to these others that are a comparable size is huge — huge,” he said.
He pointed to the fact that in addition to the Princeton Review, NCSU was also named a “best value” college by the U.S. News & World Report.
One dimension of “value” that Oblinger outlined is how well students are equipped for the real world and their profession when they graduate.
He also put emphasis on the University’s dedication to assisting students in getting co-ops and internships while they are in school.
“Our profile accentuates that — we have done a lot of that here,” he said.
America’s Best Value Colleges also makes reference to the type of environment students create at the University.
“Students are a very open, friendly and tight-knit group, especially considering they attend one of the nation’s larger schools,” the book reads.
Oblinger offered his take on why a University of this size can accommodate such an atmosphere.
“A lot of this has to do with relationships that faculty have with students beyond straight academic advising,” he said. “We are a very personalized institution, particularly when you consider we are the largest in the system.”
Provost Larry Nielsen alluded to the fact that the “best value” connotation is not something new to the University.
“I am extremely proud of that designation,” he said. “But that is not a new thing at N.C. State.”
He added that the University strives to provide affordable education.
“Our core mission is to provide a great education at a reasonable price,” he explained. “[The ranking] is recognition of our core commitment to access.”
Podhurst was adamant about the value and quality of what the University offers, especially on a national scale.
“We want to emphasize ‘bang for the buck,'” she said. “NCSU is offering one of the best deals out there.”
To emphasize the value of using rankings, she offered some facts about recent hikes in the cost to attend college.
“College costs have gone through the roof. They have gone up 67 percent in the last decade,” she said. “Over the past two decades, college costs have gone up at a rate twice the rate of inflation.”
She indicated that recognizing “best value” colleges can help students get the most out of their money, especially after the recent increases in college costs.
In addition to the “best value” honor, the Princeton Review has previously named NCSU as one of the “top 25 most connected campuses,” eighth nationally in the “everyone plays intramural sports” category and 18th on the “jock schools” list. It also made the “colleges with a conscience” list.
According to the Princeton Review, students also hold the University in high regard.
“Students say [there is] a lot of diversity, low cost, challenging courses, great faculty and great sense of community,” the book reads.