FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 20, 2007
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124

Consumers Digest ranks MUW a best value for public colleges and
universities

COLUMBUS, Miss. – Mississippi University for Women continues to
receive confirmation that earning a degree at the institution is worth
the investment.

The university was recently ranked No. 8 of the top 50 best values for
public colleges and universities in the June 2007 edition of Consumers
Digest magazine.

In determining its selections for the best values among colleges and
universities, Consumers Digest narrowed the fields to determine the top
194 public, 131 private and 61 liberal arts colleges. MUW was the only
Mississippi institution ranked.

A formula measuring students’ academic excellence (standardized test
scores, high-school rank and the grade point average of entering
freshman, as well as the school’s acceptance rate) with the quality of
education offered (as indicated by the student-to-faculty ratio, the
four-year graduation rate, the six-year graduation rate and the
percentage of faculty holding a doctorate or terminal degree) to compile
a value-index score was applied to each college.

That score and the estimated cost of attending each college for the
2005-2006 academic year (tuition and average room and board) were then
applied to a formula to determine which schools offered the most
academic value per dollar.

“It’s a great honor to be included in these rankings,” said MUW
President Claudia A. Limbert. “We care as much about our students’
education as they do. We recognize the importance of being able to
obtain a higher education degree while at the same time providing a high
quality education experience.”

MUW’s quality of education has consistently been reflected in other
national rankings, including being named 54 of the 100 best values in
public colleges across America by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and
among the top Southern public master’s universities by U.S.News &
World Report.