Personal finance magazine Kiplinger ranked U.C. San Diego tenth out of the 100 best values in public higher education. That’s despite a tuition hike this year of about 18 percent, and dramatic increases in tuition for the past few years.
Reporter Kyla Calvert will have more on the education value rankings on Tuesday's show.
Softening the blow of tuition increases may have played a role in the school earning its top spot.
“As costs have gone up so has financial aid, so we’ve continued to support our students who need support to attend the university,” said Ann Klein, who directs UCSD's Financial Aid Office.
She said about 65 percent of this year's undergraduates are receiving some form of need-based financial aid.
In the current economic climate, keeping students at the university has also taken flexibility.
“A family may begin here at U.C. San Diego and then due to some change in their circumstances – a lost job, a reduction in hours – we will re-evaluate a student’s financial aid," Klein said.
The total cost of a year at UCSD is about $26,000 for an in-state undergraduate. But the average in-state student pays about $10,000, after need-based financial aid is included.
U.C. Berkeley came in seventh in the Kiplinger listings, and U.C. Los Angeles ranked ninth.
