The University jumped 16 spots to rank in the top 7 percent of the nation's public universities that provide " first-rate education without breaking the bank," according to Kiplinger's "Best Values in Public Colleges."

The national ranking, which appears in the magazine's February issue, places Carolina No. 35 among 500 public universities for best values for in-state students, up from No. 51 in 2007. The ranking also puts the University in the top 11 percent of best values for out-of-state students--No. 59 from No. 72 in 2007.

Carolina was among several public universities singled out for dramatically increasing its rankings because of its "more competitive admission rate, plus better test scores."

"The 2007 freshman class entered the University with the highest average SAT score in our history, and our entering Honors College students now average an SAT score over 1400," President Sorensen said. "In spite of increased financial demands faced by colleges and universities across the country, we remain among the nation's best schools in terms of quality of education with an affordable price tag."

Kiplinger's bases its annual college rankings on several factors to determine schools that deliver "outstanding academic quality plus an affordable price tag." The study examines undergraduate enrollment size, SAT/ACT scores, student/faculty ratio, 4-year and 6-year graduation rates, total costs before and after financial aid, and average debt at graduation.

Carolina's Kiplinger's ranking places it in third place among universities in the Southeastern Conference, behind the University of Florida (2) and the University of Georgia (7) and ahead of Louisiana State University (52), the University of Arkansas (59), the University of Alabama (60), the University of Tennessee (73), Auburn University (88) and Mississippi State University (95).

1/08