University of Virginia is one of two colleges listed in the top ten of the Princeton Review's Best Value Public Colleges 2010 that also appear on the Forbes America's Best Public Colleges, and the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges of 2011. Tuition in 2011 is under $11,000 for in state students. With an enrollment of over 24,000, more than 50 percent of classes still have fewer than 20 students
The University of Georgia is the second of the two colleges making the Princeton, Forbes, and U.S. News lists. It was ranked No. 7 from Princeton and No. 19 from Forbes. Among the public schools on the U.S. News & World Report list, it tied for No. 10. In-state tuition costs are under $8,000 in 2011, a great value. The freshman class size averaged 4,675, with a student to faculty ratio of 17.5-to-1.
New College of Florida is No. 3 on the Forbes list and No. 3 on the Princeton value list. It boasts a student to faculty ratio of just 10-to-1, and the average freshman class is about 202 students. The cost, including room and board, fees and books was under $16,000 as of 2010.
University of California at Berkeley is the highest ranked public college on U.S. News' Best Colleges 2011 list. It has a six-year graduation rate of 90 percent; it offers 14 schools and colleges. While the cost of room and board is higher, in state tuition was under $11,000 in 2010. Over 60 percent of classes have 20 students or less.
The College of William and Mary is ranked No. 6 on the Forbes list and No. 5 among public schools on the U.S. News list. In-state tuition was just over $12,000 for in state students in 2010. The student to faculty ratio is 11-to-1, with a freshman class size of 1,346. The freshman retention rate is 95 percent.
The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill was ranked No. 4 among the public schools on the U.S. News list, and No. 7 on the Forbes list. In-state tuition ran under $7,000 in 2010; it had a 96-percent freshman retention rate. Student to faculty rate is 14-to-1, with a freshman class size of 3,893.
The University of California Los Angeles tied for No. 2 among public colleges on the U.S. News list, and ranked No. 10 on the Forbes list. In 2010, tuition costs were under $11,000 for in-state, but more than triple for out-of-state students. Although a larger school student to faculty ratio is only 18-to-1.
University of Michigan ranked No. 3 among public schools on the U.S. News list, and No. 15 on the Forbes list. Tuition was $12,400 for in-state students in 2010. The average freshman class had 5,992 incoming students, with a student to faculty ratio of just 15-to-1.
Tied for No. 8 among public schools on the U.S. News list, and ranked No. 20 on the Forbes list, University of Washington is located in Seattle. Tuition in-state was under $9,000 in 2010. Another low student to faculty rate for a larger school, only 12-to-1, with a freshman class size of 5,325.
University of California in Santa Barbara was tied for No. 7 among public school on U.S. News and No. 24 on the Forbes list. Tuition is in the middle range at $11,630 for in-state students as of 2010. The student to faculty ratio is higher than any of the previous schools listed in the article, at a ratio of 20-to-1.