For the ninth year in a row, Ramapo College of New Jersey has been ranked on the prestigious Kiplinger's Personal Finance's list of 100 public colleges that offer the best values to their students.
Ramapo College, one of three New Jersey public schools to make the list, was ranked 66th, preceding well-known colleges and universities such as the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Auburn University in Alabama, as well as many others.
"Honestly, I'm surprised the school isn't ranked higher than it is. I didn't think the school could get any more affordable than it is now," said Brandon Molina, a sophomore.
Molina was not the only student who felt this way.
"I would have thought the school ranked somewhere in the thirties," said Jessica Ross, a senior. "With how easily accessible everything is, along with the price, you'd think it would be ranked higher than it already is."
The Kiplinger's Personal Finance's list of 100 top public colleges and universities ranks four-year schools based on price value, exceptional schooling and training, as well as extracurriculars and on-campus housing.
Kiplinger's also takes into consideration the amount of students that return after their first year, as well as transfer students, the student to teacher ratio in classrooms, the admittance rate and the number of students that graduate within four years.
According to Kiplinger, an organization based off of business forecasting as well as personal finance, Ramapo ranked 66th in-state and 43rd out-of-state with an admittance rate of 47% and an average post-graduation debt of $30,053.
"Compared to other schools I applied for, Ramapo was by far the most inexpensive. Even when I was living on campus, the scholarship I'd been given made tuition almost half of what friends at other schools were paying," said Molina. "Considering how little it costs compared to other schools in this area, I've had a lot of great professors, interesting classes and tons of resources that I barely begin to take advantage of."
Ross, who transferred to Ramapo two years ago, is happy with her decision to transfer, and is continually impressed with what Ramapo has to offer.
"Being at Ramapo, I feel that I am definitely getting my money's worth, education wise and campus wise," said Ross. "Many of the professors here have amazing background experiences such as working for The New York Times and things of that nature and compared to my previous school, the campus housing is not only cheaper, but nicer and easier to get to."
jwrixon@ramapo.edu
