To determine which schools offer families the best value, we use a formula that relates a school's academic quality, as indicated by its overall U.S. News ranking, to the net cost to a student who receives the average level of financial aid. The higher the quality of the school's academic program and the lower the cost to the student, the better the deal. We only considered the national universities and liberal arts colleges in the top half of the U.S. News rankings and regional institutions in the top quarter. That's because we believe that families will find the most significant values among colleges that are above average academically.
Many undergraduates leave college carrying considerable student debt.
U.S. News has compiled a list of the institutions whose 1999 graduates carried the heaviest and lightest average debt loads. The data include loans taken out by students from colleges, financial institutions, and federal, state, and local governments. Loans taken out by the parents of students are not included. The first number tells you what percentage of the student body has incurred debt and, by extrapolation, what percentage is debt free. World Report Inc. All rights reserved.