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For more than 30 years, the #1 bestselling Fiske Guide to Colleges has chosen a select group of schools, noted for quality academic offerings and affordable cost, for its annual Best Buy list.
The tradition continues with the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2015, comprised of 22 public and 22 private colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, and the UK.
Former New York Times education editor Edward B. Fiske takes several factors into account when determining which institutions are Best Buys, including:
As Edward Fiske explains in the Fiske Guide 2015:
One of the lesser-known facts of life about higher education in the U.S. is that price and quality do not always go hand in hand. The college or university with the jumbo price tag may or may not offer a better education than the institution across town with much lower tuition. The relationship between the cost paid by the consumer and the quality of the education is affected by factors ranging from the size of an institution’s endowment to calculations by college officials about what the market will bear.
In the face of today’s skyrocketing tuition rates, students and families in all economic circumstances are looking for ways to get the best value for their education dollar. Fortunately, there are some bargains along the way. The Fiske Guide has an “Index by Price” that groups public and private institutions into four price categories, from inexpensive to very expensive. We also go one step further and suggest a number of schools that offer outstanding academics with relatively modest prices. This year we have designated 44 such institutions—22 public and 22 private—as Best Buys.
All of our Best Buys fall into the inexpensive or moderate price category, and most have four- or five-star academic ratings. But there are bargains to be found among all levels and types of institutions. For example, some of the best values in American higher education are public colleges and universities that have remained relatively small and offer the smaller classes and personalized approach to academics that are typically found only in expensive private liberal arts colleges. Several of these are included as Best Buys.
Fiske Guide to Colleges 2015 features this year’s 44 Best Buy institutions:
Public Arizona State University University of Edinburgh (UK) The Evergreen State University University of Florida Indiana University University of Iowa Iowa State University University of Mary Washington University of Maryland Baltimore County New College of Florida University of North Carolina Asheville University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina State University Ohio University Purdue University University of St. Andrews (UK) SUNY–University at Buffalo SUNY–College of Geneseo University of Texas at Austin University of Toronto (Can) Trinity College Dublin (Ire) University of Wisconsin–Madison |
Private Adelphi University Alfred University Austin College Baylor University Brigham Young University California Institute of Technology Cooper Union Deep Springs College Elon University Goucher College Morehouse College Mount Holyoke College Olin College of Engineering Rice University College of St. Benedict and St. John's University University of the South (Sewanee) Southwestern University Spelman College Syracuse University Trinity University (TX) Warren Wilson College Xavier University of Louisiana |
For Fiske’s signature profiles of the 322 best and most interesting colleges and universities, check out the Fiske Guide to Colleges book, interactive online program, and iPad app.
The #1 bestselling college guide, from the top name in college admissions!
For more than 30 years, this leading guide to more than 300 colleges and universities has been an indispensable source of information for college-bound students and their parents. Hip, honest and straightforward, Fiske Guide to Colleges 2015 delivers an insider's look at the academic climates and the social and extracurricular scenes at the "best and most interesting" schools in the U.S., plus Canada and Great Britain.
The Fiske Guide to Colleges includes:
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