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Queens College gives more bang for the buck: Report

By Philip Newman

Princeton Review ranked Queens College in Flushing as No. 8 on its nationwide list of 10 best colleges and universities in terms of best value and excellence of education.City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) said “we knew all along that Queens College was a gem. Now the secret is out that Queens College is a great institution.”Princeton Review's guide, “America's Best Value Colleges,” profiled 81 public and private schools that have outstanding academics, generous financial aid and relatively low costs.In New York City, Brooklyn College – another City University of New York institution – was the only other school making the top 10 list.”With the best reputation of all the CUNY undergraduate institutions, Queens College provides a top-rate education at a bargain basement price,” the Princeton Review said.”Outstanding merit-based opportunities include participation in the Honors College, a highly competitive program that waives tuition fees,” the guidebook said. These students are also eligible for the Queens Scholar Scholarship, which provides $4,000 a year over four years and the Queens Foundation Scholarship that offers students $3,000 a year for two years. Scholarships earmarked for specific departments also are available.”There are few cheaper opportunities to receive a first-rate education in New York City,” the guidebook noted. The guidebook's lavish praise of Queens College included mention of the school's location in Flushing. “The attractive campus has a tremendous view of the Manhattan skyline,” and added “the student body, like the borough that it calls home, is extremely diverse.”The Princeton Review said it selected the colleges based on data provided by administrators at more than 350 schools and from surveys of students at those institutions.Researchers used more than 30 factors to rate the colleges in four categories: Academics Tuition GPA (the sticker price minus the average amount students receive in scholarships and grants), Aid (how well colleges meet students' financial need) and Student Borrowing.”Bottom line: The 81 schools that met our criteria for this book are all great college education deals,” the Review said.”There are few cheaper opportunities to receive a first-rate education in New York City,” said the Princeton Review, which now is in the bookstores.Bates College in Lewiston, Maine was ranked No. 1 in the nation as the top value in education, according to Princeton Review, and Brooklyn College was No. 7.Queens College says it is dedicated to the concept of providing a high-quality education to talented people of all backgrounds and financial means. Founded in 1937, the college offers a liberal arts curriculum with more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs and a variety of specialized honors programs.The college has the highest graduation rate of any school in the CUNY system and its graduates rank 35th nationally among those who have earned Ph.D. degrees.Tuition for New York state residents is $4,000 with $360 per credit hour for undergraduates.The college is situated on a scenic 77-acre campus in Flushing with an enrollment of nearly 17,000 students from more than 140 nations and who speak 66 languages.Queens College graduates include U.S. Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) and Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, Carole King, Paul Simon, Joy Behar, Marvin Hamlisch and Susan Isaacs, Nathan Leventhal, former president of Lincoln Center and Allen Loren, chairman and CEO of Dun &Bradstreet Corp.Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300 Ext. 136.