Ue Among Best in Midwest Third for Value in Magazine Report
By MARK WILSON, Courier & Press staff writer 464-7417 or wilsonm@courierpress.com
The University of Evansville ranks as one of the best values in higher education in the Midwest in U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” issue on newsstands today.
The report lists UE third for the best value among universities in the Midwest that grant master’s degrees, behind only Creighton University at Omaha, Neb., and Valparaiso University in northern Indiana.
UE administrators said it is an indication of the school’s academic quality, reputation and reasonable cost.
The magazine’s best value list is determined by several factors, including the ratio of quality to price; the percentage of undergraduate students receiving need-based scholarships and grants in the previous year; and the percentage of a school’s total costs such as fees, books and room and board covered by scholarships.
The rankings are designed to help prospective students and parents evaluate col
lege choices. The listings include more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools.
“A lot of students use the report as a way to narrow down the schools they want to look at,” said Thomas Bear, UE’s vice president for enrollment services.
Students currently pay $24,340 in tuition and fees and $7,650 in room and board to attend UE, but Bear said the university strives to offset those costs with a wide variety of merit and additional need- based scholarships. He said UE’s inclusion in the upper level of the report’s lists reflect that.
“It is a result of these unique scholarship programs in many ways,” Bear said.
For instance, students can receive between $6,500 and $13,500 based on talents and academic ability, with additional scholarships available based on need. Students ranked first in their class are eligible for a Trustee’s Scholarship that may pay anywhere from 67 percent to the full cost of tuition. Students graduating in the top five in their class are eligible for Dean’s Scholarships paying from 67 percent to 75 percent of tuition.
And UE is always looking for ways to add scholarship programs, he said.
New scholarships
New scholarships being offered this year include a National Need for Nursing Scholarship that could pay up to $18,000. Also available are scholarships for Eagle Scouts, and Venture Scouts and Girl Scouts Gold Award recipients of $13,750 per year.
“Being named a ‘Best Value’ among master’s-granting institutions in the Midwest is something we’re tremendously proud of, because it indicates that our students truly are receiving a top-tier education without creating financial hardships in these difficult economic times,” said UE President Stephen Jennings.
UE also continued to rank near the top in terms of overall education of master’s-granting universities in the region, among other universities such as Creighton, Valparaiso and Xavier University at Cincinnati, Ohio.
UE’s ranking of 11th was among a total of 137 universities from 12 states which provide both undergraduate and master’s degree programs.
The ranking was down from 10th place last year.
“This is just one of the many indicators confirming our success in maintaining the highest academic quality at the University of Evansville,” Jennings said.
U.S. News & World Report uses six measures of academic quality to determine its lists. Among those measures are assessment by administrators at peer institutions, student graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.
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