Money Magazine: Gonzaga a Top Value
SPOKANE, Wash. – For the second consecutive year, Gonzaga University is listed in Money magazine’s annual College Planner as the best value among private colleges and universities in the Pacific Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington) and the No. 8 best private university in the nation for merit aid.
Money sought to determine which of the roughly 2,000 four-year U.S. colleges and universities deliver the most value – a great education at an affordable price that prepares students for rewarding careers. In ranking the nation’s 705 best-value colleges and universities, Money excluded schools with graduation rates below the median, financial difficulties, or fewer than 500 undergraduates. The schools were ranked on 24 factors in three equally weighted categories: educational quality, affordability, and alumni success.
“College is now the second-largest financial expenditure for many families, exceeded only by buying a home. So it isn’t surprising that parents and students are taking a harder look at the costs and payoffs of any college they consider,” Money notes in a discussion of its methodology.
All of Money’s 50 Best Private Colleges for Merit Aid are in the top half of its rankings and have merit aid budgets for families that make too much to qualify for need-based aid but need help with college costs. The average merit grant of these 50 schools is at least $6,000 a year, and at least 20 percent of undergraduates are awarded one.
Money sought to determine which of the roughly 2,000 four-year U.S. colleges and universities deliver the most value – a great education at an affordable price that prepares students for rewarding careers. In ranking the nation’s 705 best-value colleges and universities, Money excluded schools with graduation rates below the median, financial difficulties, or fewer than 500 undergraduates. The schools were ranked on 24 factors in three equally weighted categories: educational quality, affordability, and alumni success.
“College is now the second-largest financial expenditure for many families, exceeded only by buying a home. So it isn’t surprising that parents and students are taking a harder look at the costs and payoffs of any college they consider,” Money notes in a discussion of its methodology.
All of Money’s 50 Best Private Colleges for Merit Aid are in the top half of its rankings and have merit aid budgets for families that make too much to qualify for need-based aid but need help with college costs. The average merit grant of these 50 schools is at least $6,000 a year, and at least 20 percent of undergraduates are awarded one.