Money Magazine has ranked Auburn University the 'best college for your money' in the state of Alabama, beating out Samford University and the University of Alabama in Huntsville, among others.
The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa comes in a distant 226 spots behind Auburn.
The rankings come from factors, such as quality of education, affordability and outcomes, including mid-career earnings of alumni.
Donald Large, executive vice president and chief financial officer at Auburn, spoke about the importance of keeping tuition affordable.
"Our approach has been to meet students halfway, using internal cuts and reallocations to match the amount needed from tuition increases," Large said. "The University also benchmarks its tuition rates against those charged by similar public institution in the Southeast, with a goal of keeping tuition somewhere in the middle of this pack of elite schools."
Among SEC schools, Auburn is ranked sixth on the list. Large said students can thank the state of Alabama for the low tuition.
"Like other public universities around the country, Auburn can no longer depend on state appropriations alone to keep tuition rates low for students," Large said. "Alabama residents still receive an Auburn education at a significant discount thanks to support from the state of Alabama."
According to Money Magazine, the average annual salary of Auburn alumni within five years of graduating is $45,500, compared to $41,500 for graduates from the University of Alabama.
Auburn alumni are earning more money coming out of school, but University of Alabama students are paying close to $13,000 more for their degree.
The administration at Auburn noticed this and used these stats to advertise the University.
"Our marketing targets different groups with information we think or hope best promotes Auburn and is helpful for them to know," Large said. "I feel sure we will use the best value rating in some of our communications."
Parents of Auburn students have taken notice of the value their kids get from an Auburn education.
"Compared to other colleges that my sons looked at attending, Auburn has the best quality and price by far," said David Thrasher, father of Auburn students. "In-state tuition has been very affordable."
David Feemster of Birmingham, parent of future Auburn students, agreed.
"It is starting to get to that time where my kids are looking at different colleges," Feemster said. "We are an Auburn family and it makes it easy knowing that our kids can attend a place where they can receive a great degree at a reasonable cost."
Large said no major changes are in store for Auburn's tuition as long as certain key factors continue.
"Assuming that the state continues to support the Education Trust Fund at planned levels and distributes revenues from this fund equitably, and assuming Auburn retains its current strong performance in attracting out-of-state students, then drastic changes in Auburn's tuition are not anticipated," Large said.
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