Colleges praised for value: Kiplinger’s ranks USC, C of C, Clemson in top 100

Many of the state’s public colleges were chastised last year for large tuition increases, but Kiplinger’s Personal Finance says some of them offer excellent educational value for the dollar.

Three South Carolina public colleges made Kiplinger’s list of the country’s 100 best values: Clemson University ranked 41st, the University of South Carolina ranked 42nd and the College of Charleston came in 84th.

For the 10th time since Kiplinger’s first analysis in 1998, the University of North Carolina topped the chart.

Kiplinger’s ranked four-year schools from around the country. “Despite rising tuition costs, there are still many first-rate institutions providing outstanding academics at an affordable price,” said Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger’s.

But defining “affordable” can be tricky.

In response to skyrocketing tuition rates, South Carolina’s Budget and Control Board in September issued an ultimatum to four-year schools that raised tuition more than 7 percent and to two-year schools that raised it more than 6.3 percent: Roll it back for spring semester or face a moratorium on new campus construction projects.

Only The Citadel did not roll back tuition.

The Southern Regional Education Board, a group that represents 16 southern states, found that tuition at South Carolina’s public colleges is the highest in the South. It also found that the rate at which it funds its public colleges is second from the bottom among those states.

Alan Richard, the board’s communication director, said Kiplinger’s list considered not only tuition but the quality of education schools offered. Tuition may be high in South Carolina compared to other southern states, but the schools that made the list are very good schools, he said.

He noted that tuition rates in the southern region generally are lower than those in other parts of the country.

According to Kiplinger’s, the national average annual in-state sticker price of a public college, which includes room and board, in the 2009-10 school year was $15,213.

Richard said the average rate of tuition room and board in South Carolina that year was $14,960. But, he added, family incomes in the state also tend to be low. The state’s 2009 median family income was $42,200.

Kiplinger’s rankings are based on a combination of academics and affordability. The group analyzed more than 500 public, four-year schools, examining their SAT and ACT scores, admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios and four- and six-year graduation rates, along with tuition costs, student debt, graduation and need-based aid.

Donald Burkard, the College of Charleston’s associate vice president for enrollment planning, said making the list is “pretty significant.” It contributes to the college’s reputation, which is growing nationally and internationally.

Robert Barkley, Clemson’s admissions director said, “It’s gratifying for the value of a Clemson education to be acknowledged highly in a number of publications, but particularly so in case of Kiplinger’s, which specifically compares costs and benefits.”

And Dennis Pruitt, USC’s vice president for student affairs and dean of students, said the rankings are another confirmation of what a record number of applications and enrollment at the university indicate.

“Our record number of applicants and enrolled freshmen last fall clearly show that students and their parents recognize that USC is honoring its commitment of offering an outstanding undergraduate education at an affordable cost,” he said.

The annual public school rankings appear in Kiplinger’s February 2011 issue and online at kiplinger.com/tools/colleges.