WMU News

WMU named one of America's best college buys

April 15, 1999

KALAMAZOO--For the third consecutive year, Western Michigan University has been named one of the 100 best college buys in the United States, according a consulting firm that rates America's colleges and universities.

"America's 100 Best College Buys 2000," the firm's most recent report, lists schools that have a high academic ranking but a low annual cost. It was published by Institutional Research and Evaluation Inc. of Gainesville, Ga., a higher education consulting firm.

This is the third year that the firm has compiled the results of one of its national surveys to create the best college buys list. In the previous two years, "America's 100 Best College Buys" was printed in book form by John Culler & Sons of Camden, S.C., as part of its "Student Guide Series."

For this year's report, 1,537 public and private colleges and universities were surveyed. The 100 schools selected represent 37 states. Sixty-three are public institutions. In addition to WMU, three other Michigan institutions are included, Grand Valley State University, Michigan Technological University and Oakland University.

The report shows that WMU surpassed the national average in all categories examined. The University's averages, with the national average in parenthesis, are: freshman grade point, 3.2 (3.16); freshman ACT score, 23 (21); and annual out-of-state cost of attendance, $13,320 ($15,164).

To be considered for inclusion in the report, schools had to be an accredited, four-year institution; offer full residential facilities; offer opportunities for need-, academic- and athletic-based financial aid; have a 1997 entering freshman class with a high school grade point average and/or SAT/ACT score either equal to or above the national average for entering freshmen; and, for public institutions, have a 1998-99 out-of-state cost of attendance (tuition and fees for 30 hours plus room and board) for two semesters or three quarters that was either below the national average or did not exceed the national average by more than 10 percent. For private institutions, cost of attendance was based on regular tuition rather than out-of-state tuition.

Media contact: Jeanne Baron, 616 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu


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