Cooper Union tops list of best college buys

NEW YORK — Cooper Union, which charges its 1,000 students just $300 a year, leads a new list of best college buys in a Money Magazine guide.

Seven of the top 10 schools that offer “the best education for the buck” are in New York, Florida or New Jersey, according to the new annual guide, “The Money Guide to the Best Colleges in America,” going on sale at newsstands Monday.

The top three values — Cooper Union, California Institute of Technology and Rice University — are all private. The remaining seven in the guide’s top 10 are public universities.

“We’re thrilled and delighted and honored,” Cooper Union president Jay Iselin said in an interview. “The truth is that Cooper Union has always believed that education should be available to anyone of talent regardless of their means.”

The 108-page publication, produced in collaboration with Peterson’s Guides, lists 100 public and 100 private schools around the country that emerged as best values in a computer analysis that weighed tuition charges against 17 measures of academic performance.

The list excluded all two-year colleges and narrowly specialized or sectarian schools. It also omitted the three U.S. military academies, which are free and provide excellent education but require at least five years’ military service, “thereby masking their actual cost,” according to the guide.

Public universities were judged on the basis of out-of-state tuitions, and private schools were judged at their full price exclusive of any scholarships or financial aid.

Top on the list is Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, a highly selective private college located in New York City and founded by real estate magnate Peter Cooper 131 years ago. The school provides a $15,000-a-year subsidy to each student from its $100 million endowment and contributions. Students pay only a $300 activities fee.

Other colleges listed are:

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif., ranked high despite its $13,495 price tag. The school has a teaching faculty of 274 for 799 undergraduates. Faculty and students have won 21 Nobel Prizes.

Rice University, Houston, uses its $1 billion endowment to keep tuitions at a low $7,160 while maintaining an academic reputation rivaling Ivy League schools.

The New College of the University of South Florida, Sarasota, combines the small feel of a private school with a public college price: $5,488 for out-of-staters, $1,515 for Floridians.

State University of New York at Geneseo, a strong liberal arts branch of the 64-campus SUNY system, charges out-of-staters $4,925, $1,575 for New Yorkers.

State University of New York at Binghamton, a highly competitive “public Ivy,” strong in liberal arts, costs $4,914 for out-of-state students, $1,564 for in-staters.

Trenton State College, Trenton, N.J., offers a strong core curriculum for liberal arts students, at a cost of $3,795 for out-of-staters, $2,720 for New Jersey students.

State University of New York at Albany, with strong programs in public administration, criminal justice and other government-related career tracks, costs $4,835 for out-of-state students, $1,485 for New Yorkers.

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, long considered one of the top state universities with particularly excellent English and economics departments, charges Virginians 2,966 and out-of-staters $8,136.

University of Florida, Gainesville, boasts 114 majors in 52 disciplines, charges $4,630 for out-of-state students, $1,320 for Florida residents.