LONG BEACH - Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine has named California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) to its list of the 100 Best Values in Public Colleges for 2011, which ranks four-year institutions that deliver excellent academics while keeping costs to a minimum.The annual public school rankings appear in Kiplinger's February 2011 issue and online at www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges. Selected from a pool of more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities, schools in the Kiplinger 100 were ranked according to academic quality, including admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios and four- and six-year graduation rates, as well as on cost and financial aid. CSULB appears at No. 79 on the list and is one of nine California institutions to make the rankings. Two other CSU campuses were among the 100 - Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (50) and San Diego State University (92). The other seven California schools were University of California campuses. "Being listed among Kiplinger's 100 best values in public colleges is a great way to start the new year, and it is a fitting and appropriate honor for Cal State Long Beach," said CSULB President F. King Alexander. "We recognize that the ability to afford a university degree is a key issue in terms of access to higher education, and this campus has worked diligently to hold the line on costs to students wherever possible. "More importantly, however," he added, "this ranking illustrates to taxpayers, consumers, students and parents that the high price tag associated with many colleges and universities nationwide has nothing to do with the quality of education experience being offered." According to the magazine, private colleges have lately run about $36,000 a year-a sharp contrast to the public schools on Kiplinger's top 100 list, in which 20 charge the same as or less than the average annual in-state sticker price of $16,140. "Despite rising tuition costs, there are still many first-rate institutions providing outstanding academics at an affordable price," said Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger's. "Schools like these on the Kiplinger 100 list prove graduates can enter the workforce with a great education-and without a huge cloud of debt."

********** Published: January 13, 2011 - Volume 9 - Issue 39