Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia is sixth in a new ranking by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine of the best values among 100 public colleges and universities in America.

Schools on the list are “where students can receive a stellar education without graduating with a mountain of debt,” according to the magazine, which compiles the list periodically.

More than 500 four-year public colleges and universities were surveyed for the ranking and the top 100 were chosen on the basis of academic quality, cost and financial aid.

The magazine puts total annual costs to attend UGA at $11,804 for students from Georgia and $24,024 for out-of-state students. UGA’s in-state cost is third-lowest among the top 10 schools.

UGA has dropped two spots from its fourth place in the last Kiplinger’s ranking, but UGA President Michael F. Adams says this is actually the direction the university wants to be heading.

“We’re happy that we continue to be a best bargain in higher education in America, but we don’t want to be the cheapest,” Adams said. “We believe the cost of attending UGA should reflect the superior quality of education our students receive.”

Only two other Georgia schools are in the top 100--the Georgia Institute of Technology, ranked 30th, and Georgia College and State University, ranked 92nd.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill tops the list, as it has in all previous rankings. UNC is the only school that pays 100 percent, without loans, of the financial need of every accepted freshman whose family income is below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

The 10 top-ranked schools: University of North Carolina, University of Florida, University of Virginia, College of William and Mary, New College of Florida, University of Georgia, State University of New York at Genesco, University of Illinois-Champaign, Binghamton University and University of Washington.

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