Best College Values 2015: Princeton, Truman State University Rank High For Good Academics, Affordable Prices

Consumers Digest magazine released Monday its rankings of the top 100 best value colleges. Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, came in at No. 1 on the list of public colleges and universities. Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, was first on the private school list.

Consumers Digest examined each institution's academic performance and educational quality, looking at factors like grade point average, graduation rate and student retention rates, according to a news release. It then compared that to how much a school charged for nonresident tuition, fees and room and board. It did not figure in financial aid. The results were published in the magazine's June issue.

The goal in ranking the colleges was to give parents and students a resource showing them the value of their various options, publisher Randy Weber said in a statement. "Our analysis is designed to help families make an informed decision that puts their hard-earned money to the best use," he added.

The magazine found the average cost of attendance to be $30,655 for public colleges and $56,578 at private colleges. This was slightly off from the College Board's estimates, which recently found tuition, fees and room and board to be $32,762 and $42,419, respectively.

See a sample of the Consumers Digest rankings below. The full list is available here.

Best values at public colleges and universities:

1. Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri
2. California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California
3. University of Minnesota-Morris in Morris, Minnesota
4. University of Tennessee-Knoxville in Knoxville, Tennessee
5. Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York

Best values at private colleges and universities:

1. Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey
2. Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut
3. University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4. University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana
5. Stanford University in Palo Alto, California

Best values at private liberal arts colleges:

1. Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts
2. Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts
3. Pomona College in Claremont, California
4. Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts
5. Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania