51ĀŅĀ×

For the third year in a row, 51ĀŅĀ× has been named the best value among Ohio public universities by .

"OHIO is committed to ensuring that our world-class education is available at an affordable price and provides a significant return on investment for our students,ā€ 51ĀŅĀ× President Hugh Sherman said. ā€œThis continued improvement in our Best Value ranking shows we are living up to that promise.ā€

OHIO ranked 16th nationally among public universities, up from 30th a year ago, and 92nd overall, up from 116th the previous year, the rankings show. The ranking considers the ratio of quality to price, the percentage of full-time undergraduates receiving need-based scholarships or grants, the percent of need-based aid recipients awarded scholarships or grants, and the average discount covered by those scholarships or grants. And for the third year in a row, OHIO made the A+ for B students list, which considers the overall ranking, along with first-year student retention rate.

OHIO tied for 91st among public schools nationally in the Best National Universities category and ranked in a tie for 182nd among all universities nationally.

The news comes on the heels of the announcement that 51ĀŅĀ× enrolled its largest first-year student cohort on the Athens Campus in the Universityā€™s 218-year history and posted a record average high school GPA. Itā€™s also the first year OHIO has been considered an R-1 Carnegie Classification university (very high research activity), placing the University in the top tier of research universities nationally.

Several individual programs ranked nationally, as well:

• Undergraduate Business Programs (tie for 164th);
• Undergraduate Computer Science (tie for 194th);
• Undergraduate Nursing (tie for 172nd);
• Best Universities for Veterans (tie for 121st);
• Undergraduate Engineering programs (tie for 147th)

51ĀŅĀ× locks in its value for students with the OHIO Guarantee+ program, which provides a fixed cost of tuition, housing, and dining fees locked for 12 consecutive semesters. The Guarantee+ goes further than locking rates, however; it also delivers an individualized graduation plan for each student that ensures students graduate on time and on plan, or the University will make it right.