(College Station)—Texas A&M is the top-ranked university in Texas and the Southwest in Kiplinger's 2006 list of the nation's 100 "best values in public colleges."
"The Kiplinger 100" is featured in the February issue of the widely circulated personal finance magazine.
Texas A&M ranks 25th on the list, which is derived on the basis of a combination of academic qualify and affordability factors.
"We are obviously pleased to be included among the universities rated as 'best values' by the editors of this well-known magazine and take this as another highly positive indication that Texas A&M is becoming better known nationally for the right reasons," noted Texas A&M President Robert M. Gates. "We find it particularly gratifying that the ratings are based on a combination of academics and affordability because that is our emphasis, too-to provide high-quality education to our students at the lowest cost possible in keeping with our commitment to quality."
Texas A&M moved up 16 places since Kiplinger's published its 2003-04 "best value" rankings for public universities.
"Schools that top Kiplinger's list are noteworthy for their combination of top-flight academics and affordable costs," the editors said in explaining the rating's parameters. They said that in their scoring, academic quality carries more weight than costs-almost two-thirds of the total.
Quality considerations included SAT/ACT factors, student/faculty ratios and graduation rates, and financial considerations included total and "after aid" costs. "We used academic-quality scores and average debt at graduation to break ties," they noted.
Kiplinger's list is headed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The only other schools in Texas or the Southwest included on the 2006 list are the University of Texas at Austin at 27th and UT-Dallas, 66th.
Gates noted "The Kiplinger 100" is the second national ranking published within the past six months in which Texas A&M fares well.
U.S. News & World Report ranked Texas A&M 21st among public universities in its "America's Best Colleges" edition last year-and fifth in the magazine's "best values" ratings. Also, The Washington Monthly ranked Texas A&M seventh in the nation in its inaugural college guide that takes into consideration such aspects as community service and research that advances knowledge and drives economic growth.