Truman Leads Missouri Public Schools in Kiplinger’s Best Value Colleges Rankings

Truman is the highest rated Missouri public school to be included in the “Top 300 Best College Values of 2017” by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.

The rankings include 300 of the nation’s top private, liberal arts and public colleges. Overall, Truman came in at No. 60, a slight improvement from last year and a full 120 spots ahead of the next Missouri public school. All totaled, the state placed nine schools on the list – three public and six private. Truman is the second-highest rated Missouri school, coming in just two spots behind Washington University in St. Louis. Of all 300 schools, Truman is fourth best in terms of total cost per year, far better than any of its statewide counterparts.

On the Kiplinger’s list devoted solely to public schools, Truman again stands out for quality and cost, coming in at No. 5 overall for out-of-state students. Among the three Missouri schools in the public college rankings, Truman excels in terms of affordability. It has the lowest average debt at graduation as well as the lowest total cost per year for both in-state and out-of-state students, respectively coming in almost $3,000 and $14,000 better than the next closest Missouri school.

Kiplinger’s quality measures, which are weighted more heavily than cost, include the admission rate, the percentage of students who return for sophomore year, the student-faculty ratio and the four-year graduation rate. Cost criteria include sticker price, financial aid and average debt at graduation. Unlike other rankings, which include subjective criteria in their assessments, Kiplinger restricts its analysis to measurable standards of academic quality and affordability. The complete rankings are now available online at kiplinger.com/links/colleges and appear in print in the February 2017 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, available now.