Truman Moves Up List of Best Values

Outstanding academics and affordable costs helped move Truman up to the No. 15 spot for public schools in the Kiplinger’s Personal Finance rankings of best college values.

The publication’s recently released list of the “Top 300 Best College Values of 2016” placed Truman at No. 65 overall and No. 15 among public institutions, an improvement of four spots from the previous year’s ranking.

“College is one of the biggest investments many people will ever make; however, affordability should never come at the cost of academic excellence,” University President Troy D. Paino said. “Balancing those factors can be difficult, so to see Truman consistently excel at providing an excellent education at a reasonable price speaks to our commitment to students.”

In terms of affordability, Truman’s total cost per year is the sixth best among all of the schools in Kiplinger’s rankings. Among public institutions, Truman’s spot at No. 15 is enough to make it the highest-rated Missouri school on the list and the only university in the state to crack the top 50.

Kiplinger assesses value by measurable standards of academic quality and affordability. Quality measures include the admission rate, the percentage of students who return for sophomore year, the student-faculty ratio and four-year graduation rate. Cost criteria include sticker price, financial aid and average debt at graduation.

The complete rankings are available now online at kiplinger.com/links/college and appear in print in the February 2016 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.