Davidson Named Among Best Value Colleges: Princeton Review

DAVIDSON, NC— When it comes to college, many potential students choose a school where they can get the most for their money. Princeton Review this month released its 2020 list of best value colleges, which includes Davidson College along with four other colleges from North Carolina and a total of 200 colleges across the country. The schools on the list reflect 7 percent of colleges across the country and offer the best return on investment for students, according to the research.

Princeton Review chose schools based on a 2018-19 survey of administrators at 656 colleges. Survey topics covered academics, cost, financial aid, career services, graduation rates, student debt, and alumni support.

The Princeton Review also factored in data from its surveys of students attending the colleges as well as PayScale.com surveys of school alumni about their starting and mid-career salaries and job satisfaction.

The following North Carolina schools made this year’s list. Schools were not ranked hierarchically.

• Davidson College, Davidson
• Duke University, Durham
• North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill
• Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem

Of the 200 schools included on the list, 75 received a nod for having the highest return on investment. In North Carolina, these schools were included in the top 75 ranking:

• Duke University: Ranked No. 19
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Ranked No. 21
• North Carolina State University: Ranked No. 51

Among the 200 colleges included on this year’s list:

• The average grant to students with need is $29,748.
• The median starting salary of graduates is $60,824.
• The mid-career salary of graduates is $117,583.

Among the 63 public colleges on this year’s list:

• The average net cost of attendance (sticker price minus average grant) for in-state students receiving need-based aid is $12,944.
• The average admission rate is 53 percent.
• 14 of the colleges admit more than 70 percent of applicants.

The first edition of The Princeton Review's “Best Value Colleges” book, published in 2004, was inspired by findings of the company's 2003 College Hopes & Worries Survey, a project that annually polls college applicants and their parents about their application perspectives and concerns.

In the 17 years that The Princeton Review has conducted the survey, concerns about college costs continue to rise each year. Among the findings of the 2019 survey: 88 percent of the 11,900 respondents said financial aid would be "very" or “extremely" necessary to pay for college — a substantial increase from the 78 percent of respondents who indicated such levels of need in 2007.