"We're pleased that Georgia College continues to be recognized for both its outstanding liberal arts education and its affordable cost," said President Dorothy Leland. "This once again affirms our goal of providing an educational experience that rivals the best private schools, but at a public university price."

Schools listed in Kiplinger's 100 Best Values in Public Colleges are noted for their combination of top-tier academics and affordable costs.

According to Kiplinger's website, "Our emphasis on academic strength is reflected in our scoring. Academic quality measurements carry more weight than costs. We also used academic-quality scores and average debt at graduation figures to break ties."

The rankings are based on a review of data from more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities. Kiplinger narrowed the list to about 120 schools based on academic quality and then supplemented the original data with its own reporting. Final rankings were based on several measures of academic quality, cost and financial aid.

Academic quality measurements considered by Kiplinger's included:

o Percentage of the 2006-07 freshman class scoring 600 or higher on the verbal and math components of the SAT (or scoring 24 or higher on the ACT);

o admission rates;

o freshman retention rates;

o student-faculty ratios, and;

o graduation rates.

Other factors Kiplinger examined included each school's cost and financial aid total for in-state students (tuition, mandatory fees, room and board, and estimated expenses for books); average cost for a student with need after subtracting grants; average student cost without need after subtracting non-need-based grants; average percentage of need met by need-based assistance; and average debt a student accumulates before graduation.

Other University System of Georgia schools included in Kiplinger's rankings include the University of Georgia, and Georgia Tech.