CSULB
ranked third best value public college
Allison Baldwin
Online Forty-Niner
Editorial Assisstant
The Princeton Review ranked Cal State Long Beach No. 3 on its list of the Top
10 Best Value Public Colleges in the United States.
The list is part of the 2007 edition of The Princeton Review’s book, America’s
Best Value Colleges. They surveyed 646 colleges across the country, and developed
two Top 10 lists: best value public schools and private schools. CSULB ranked
third, following the New College of Florida and North Carolina State University.
The Princeton Review divides its criteria into three broad categories: undergraduate
academics, cost and financial aid. Each category is then divided into more specific
factors.
The Princeton Review looked at admission statistics and student opinions when
it ranked undergraduate academics. CSULB received an academic rating of 78 out
of 100. According to the Princeton Review Web site, CSULB has a student to faculty
ratio of 20:1, and the most frequent class size is 20 to 29 students. One hundred
percent of the students admitted to Cal State Long Beach were in the top 50 percent
of their high schools. CSULB has a 55 percent acceptance rate, and 21 percent
of those accepted enroll at the university.
The Princeton Review surveyed tuition, required fees, room and board, and gift
aid (scholarships and grants) when judging a school’s cost. Tuition for
CSULB is inexpensive for California residents and $10,170 for out-of-state students.
Average book and supply expenses are $1,314, and students pay $2,864 in required
fees. On average, a freshman receives $3,550 in gift aid.
The Princeton Review looked at each school’s reported financial aid data
and students’ opinions on the financial aid packages they were given. CSULB
scored 78 out of 100. Fifty-one percent of undergraduates at CSULB receive need-based
financial aid, and 47 percent of freshmen receive aid. Financial aid eligibility
is determined by using the FAFSA. The university offers merit-based aid for athletics
and academics. Students can also participate in a work study.
According to PrincetonReview.com, the lists “name schools that we believe
offer solid academics and enroll good students who are happy with the education
they are receiving, and, more importantly, do not have to mortgage their futures
because their school is charging them way too much.”
In an e-mail sent to the student body March 28, President F. King Alexander wrote, “What
distinguishes this publication’s ranking from some of the other ratings
released in the early fall is the fact that institutional price, student cost
and financial aid are also factored into the overall formula in determining ‘Bang
for the Buck’ when comparing high quality university educational opportunities.”
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