Christendom College Ranked "Best Value" by Kiplinger

Oct. 28, 2011 - PRLog -- Christendom College is once again included in an exclusive ranking of the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the nation by in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. Kiplinger’s made the announcement earlier this week, including Christendom in its annual list of best values in private institutions, naming the private universities and liberal arts colleges that combine outstanding quality with affordability.

“The institutions on Kiplinger’s rankings for best value in private colleges represent schools that provide high-quality academics as well as affordable cost even in these tough times,” says Jane Bennett Clark, Senior Associate Editor for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. “With money tight and the college choice so important, you have every reason to expect the best bang for your buck.”

Each year, Kiplinger assesses quality according to measurable standards, including the percentage of students who are admitted out of those who applied, the test scores of incoming freshmen, the ratio of students to faculty members, and graduation rates. This year, Kiplinger adjusted its criteria to better reflect the issues affecting families. Now, the rankings give more weight to the four-year graduation rate—a measure of the college’s ability to deliver academic support and of the overall cost to families—and to colleges that keep student debt down.

“While the criteria have shifted, the focus on value remains the same,” Clark says. “Many of the schools on the list have appeared in Kiplinger’s rankings in previous years, demonstrating that these schools consistently deliver good value.”


The average cost of one year at a four-year private school has lately been about $37,000, according to the College Board.

“Christendom's cost, including room and board, comes in well below the average at $27,540," says Christendom's Director of Admissions Tom McFadden. "And many students are able to deduct up to $20,000 off that price through our robust financial aid program. Assistance will vary in size—based on need, merit, and other factors—but you're not going to find our caliber of education and personal formation anywhere in the country—especially at a price like that."

The annual Kiplinger top-100 rankings appear in Kiplinger’s December issue—on newsstands November 8. An expanded ranking with a total of 200 private institutions appears on Kiplinger’s Web site, at http://www.kiplinger.com/links/college. The website features a tool that lets readers sort colleges according to the criteria that most interest them as well as answers to the most frequently asked questions about Kiplinger’s annual rankings.

Recently ranked one of the top ten colleges in the nation by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Christendom appears in numerous other national secular and religious guides each year including Barron's Best Buys, Peterson's Competitive Colleges, The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, and others.

# # #

Christendom College is a four-year coeducational Roman Catholic Liberal Arts College with undergraduate and graduate programs offered on three campuses in Front Royal and Alexandria, Virginia, and Rome, Italy.