TU climbs 40 spots in Money's Best Colleges By Value rankings

By Matt Palmer on August 12, 2019

Towson University jumped 40 spots from the previous year when Money magazine released its annual Best Colleges for Your Money list.

The second-highest Maryland university on the list, TU came in at No. 107 in the nation, and leapfrogged Johns Hopkins University to become top ranked public or private institution in the Baltimore area.

“I am proud to see Towson University recognized as among the top investments in higher education in the nation,” said President Kim Schatzel. “TU offers relevant and rigorous degree programs taught by world-class faculty. That combination creates real-world opportunities for our graduates.” 

University of Maryland, College Park, TU and Johns Hopkins were the highest-ranking Maryland institutions on the list.

Money weighed more than 19,000 data points, including tuition fees, family borrowing and career earnings in compiling the list of colleges.

The magazine evaluated colleges using the following criteria: at least 500 students; sufficient, reliable data to be analyzed; not be in financial distress; and have a graduation rate that was at or above the median for its institutional category (public or private), or have a high “value-added” graduation rate (in other words: score in the top 25 percent of our test of graduation rates after accounting for the average test scores and percentage of low-income students among its enrollees).

With that list reduced to 744 colleges, Money’s experts ranked colleges on 26 factors in three, equally-weighted categories: quality of education, affordability, and outcomes.

Money’s Best Colleges for Your Money rankings are the first to combine the most accurate pricing estimates available with all reliable indicators of alumni financial success, along with a unique analysis of how much “value” a college adds when compared to other schools that take in similar students.

This week’s ranking follows Princeton Review’s announcement that TU is one of 225 colleges and universities selected for its Best Northeastern category.

TU also was recently recognized within the top 9 percent of universities worldwide.

Learn more about how Towson University is ranked by publications and websites.

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: TU Matters to Maryland and Strategic Plan Alignment.