Cal Poly Retains Top 50 Ranking on Kiplinger List

University moves up 14 spots for out-of-state students

Cal Poly Campus SAN LUIS OBISPO – Washington, D.C.-based business publication Kiplinger’s Personal Finance again named Cal Poly as one of its “100 Best Values in Public Colleges 2010-11” in its February magazine.

Cal Poly retains its spot at No. 50 on the list of 100 public universities from around the U.S. for in-state students and moves up 14 spots to No. 33 for out-of-state students.

It joins seven University of California campuses (San Diego, UCLA, Berkeley, Irvine, Santa Barbara, Davis and Santa Cruz). Cal Poly is also joined this year by Cal State Long Beach and San Diego State from the California State University system.

Kiplinger’s develops its list on a combination of academics and affordability, through a mix of its own reporting and existing data on more than 500 public, four-year colleges and universities. The list is narrowed on measures of academic quality – including SAT and ACT scores, admission and retention rates, student-to-faculty ratios and graduation rates. Tuition costs and financial aid are then used to rank the schools (though academic quality still makes up two-thirds of the weight in the scoring system).

“We’re pleased that Kiplinger’s is again acknowledging what our students and alumni have known for a long time: Cal Poly is a great value,” said Robert Glidden, the university’s interim president.

“It’s a point of pride at Cal Poly that we’re very successful at graduating the resourceful professionals and innovative leaders that America’s key industries rely on for their success – and that we do it at an affordable price.”

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill tops the Kiplinger list, followed by the University of Florida, the University of Virginia, The College of William and Mary and The University of Maryland, College Park.

To view the entire Kiplinger Top 100 list, visit http://content.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges/

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