College affordability is one of the raging national issues in the upcoming 2020 presidential election, but there are still many schools across the country that offers quality education at an affordable price.
For the first time, California-based Thomas Aquinas College ranked best in the nation for meeting 100 percent of students’ demonstrated financial need and awarding need-based aid to nearly 70 percent of students, according to Kiplinger’s best college values ranking.
Located in Santa Paula, the college offers a bachelor of arts in liberal arts. The total cost of the program is $34,450, while the college provides $13,585 in need-based aid. Students graduate with an average debt of $19,319, which is less than the national average.
“Thomas Aquinas, which tops our rankings for the first time, racks up points on the financial side of the equation with a sticker price that’s about half that of many schools on our best-values list,” the ranking report stated.
In the private universities category, for the third consecutive year, Yale University held its top spot for its financial aid programs that make college affordable for both low and middle-income families.
Annually, the university charges around $71,000 for its various programs. The number comes down to $18,000 after taking need-based financial aid received by students into account.
Students from families with an income of $250,000 a year or more are also eligible to receive need-based financial aid. On average, students owe $13,050 in debt at graduation.
Among public colleges, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked number one for the record 18th year. Students receive need-based aid of $17,607 and graduate with an average debt of $22,214. It also ranks the best value college for out-of-state students.
Kiplinger took various factors into account to rank the colleges that include academic measures, student-to-faculty ratio, the test scores of incoming freshmen, affordable sticker prices, generous financial aid and low student debt at graduation among others.
Colleges Unaffordable for Low Income, Students of Color in Illinois
