Educational value
University of Delaware No. 65 in new Money magazine rankings
9:48 a.m., July 21, 2015--The University of Delaware has been ranked No. 65 in Money magazine’s new ranking of the 736 colleges and universities in the nation that provide the best value for the tuition dollar. UD is 21st among the public universities on the list.
"Our position on this list demonstrates the University's commitment to providing our students with a high quality education at an affordable cost," said Chris Lucier, vice president for enrollment management. "A UD diploma remains a valuable and highly regarded credential as our graduates move on to the next stage in their careers, whether graduate school or the working world."
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Money released its rankings based on methodology it said is designed to determine those four-year colleges and universities that “deliver the most value – that is, a great education, at an affordable price, that helps students launch promising careers.”
Ranking factors include educational quality, affordability and alumni earnings.
A “value added” grade – UD received a B+ – considered “how well students at each school did versus what would be expected given their economic and academic backgrounds and the institution’s mix of majors.”
The affordability factor considered merit aid, parent and student borrowing, length of time to graduate, tuition increases and other measures.
According to the Money analysis, UD had a graduation rate of 82 percent, with the net price of a degree being $99,232. The average early career earnings of alumni – within the first five years – was calculated to be $50,500.
The Money website includes quotes from several UD students.
“This is truly a wonderful and fantastic school,” one student wrote. “The teachers are great here and the students are very friendly. With that being said, if you don’t put in the time for schoolwork, you will not do well. This is not a school for someone looking to party all the time; it is a tough school. If you are not the kind of person that puts your schoolwork as the number one priority in your life then this is not the school for you.”
Another student cited the University’s Associate in Arts Program and the state SEED scholarships as providing “great opportunities for Delaware residents.”
A third commented that campus diversity and the number of international students “leads students to be very socially and politically aware.”
The Money rankings are receiving positive attention. A July 13 Washington Post article by Jeffrey J. Selingo said that, “Given the relative youth of Money’s list, it doesn’t get nearly as much attention as the one from U.S. News, but it should. Money tries to crack the code on answer the ROI (return on investment) question, and of all the rankings out there, comes the closest.”
UD is ranked No. 76 overall in the most recent U.S. News rankings.
Photo by Evan Krape