WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University is listed in the Princeton Review's 200 best value colleges for 2016, according to information released Tuesday (Feb. 2).

The Princeton Review, an education services company, developed a "Return-on-Education" (ROE) rating to compile its list of the 200 colleges for its book, "Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give You the Best Bang for Your Tuition Buck."

According to the company, the listing is based on an analysis of 40 data points, including academics, cost, financial aid, and student debt, statistics on graduation rates, alumni salaries and job satisfaction. Data was collected in 2014-15 in surveys of administrators and students at 650 colleges, plus surveys of alumni conducted by PayScale.com through April 2015. The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges in the book overall, 1-to-200, on a single list.

"At Purdue we prioritize affordability, accountability and quality, and we work very hard to offer 'higher education at the highest proven value,' " said Purdue President Mitch Daniels. " It's nice to be noticed, but we know we have much more to do."

In May 2015 the Purdue Board of Trustees approved a tuition freeze for the West Lafayette campus through the 2016-17 academic year. That will mark four consecutive years of no change in base tuition. At the West Lafayette campus, tuition and fees remain $10,002 for resident students and $28,804 for out-of-state students. International students enrolled in summer 2012 or after will pay $30,804.

The Princeton Review summary says, in part, that Purdue "is one of the most educationally and ethnically diverse universities in the United States. … Purdue has excellent research opportunities that are open to almost anyone who shows interest and dedication, and prides itself on being strong in STEM education, with heavy emphasis on real-world practical research and knowledge. When combined with an emphasis on innovation and creative thinking, Purdue becomes a great choice for anyone looking to have a successful future."

Other universities in the state included in the "best value" survey are (DePauw, Indiana, Notre Dame, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Wabash College. In addition to Purdue and Indiana, other Big Ten universities ranked include the University of Illinois, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and the University of Wisconsin.

Writer: Greg McClure, 765-496-9711, gmcclure@purdue.edu

Source: Mitch Daniels, president@purdue.edu