University of Maryland Ranks as 5th Best Value Among Public Colleges

The was recently named as the 5th "Best Value in Public Colleges" by Kiplinger, trailing only the College of William and Mary, the University of Florida, the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Maryland was ranked 5th for in-state students and 10th for out-of-state.

The annual Kiplinger study bases its ranking on a combination of financial factors, including total cost-per-year and cost after need-based aid for in-state students, total cost-per-year and cost after need-based aid for out-of-state students and average debt at graduation. Kiplinger also factors in the schools' admission rates and four-year-graduation rates.

Maryland's overall admit rate is 45 percent, with students from Prince George's County had seen an increase in rates between 2011 (32.6 percent) and 2012 (40 percent) but the priority deadline admit rate for 2013 dips to 35.7 percent. (The priority admit rates only represent students who met UMCP's priority application deadline, and the figures are expected to change at the conclusion of the application review process).

Students from Montgomery County are being accepted at a slightly higher rate in the 2011 and 2012 academic years and the priority deadline admits for 2013 at 49.5 percent.

UMCP has steadily climbed Kiplinger's rankings, moving from No. 28 in its 2008 study, to the Top 10 in 2011, and achieving a No. 5 ranking from Kiplinger's 2011 study, which it maintained in 2012.

Read the full 2012 report on Kiplinger's website.