FARMINGTON — Washington Monthly recognized the University of Maine at Farmington as the top Maine college for the College Guide’s 2015 “Best Bang for the Buck” rankings, according to a university news release.

UMF is ranked No. 14 overall of 402 public and private colleges in the Northeast that were ranked by Washington Monthly’s “The Other College Guide: A Roadmap to the Right School For You.”

The university was ranked 151 three years ago, according to UMF.

The guide lists schools in the Northeast that are the best value for the money based on “net” price — not sticker price — how well the school graduates students it admits and whether those students go on to earn at least enough to pay off their loans, according to Washington Monthly’s website, washingtonmonthly.com.

The annual publication compares more than 1,500 colleges in five geographic regions throughout the U.S.

Colleges received scores from zero to 15 points by adding together scores on five measures. Colleges that received the same score were ranked by the net price of attendance.

UMF had a 58.3 percent graduation rate based on the average six-year institutional graduation rates for first-time, full-time students for 2010 to 2012. Based on the guide’s methodology, UMF has a 7.2 percent graduation performance rate and a 4.9 percent student loan default rate. Forty-three percent of students received Pell grants and 83.2 percent of applicants were admitted to the university.

The guide also lists the net price for students at $13,388. The measure reflects the average price for the 2009-10 through 2011-12 academic years (tuition, fees, room and board and other expenses minus any grant aid received) that students receiving any grant aid from the institution, state, and/or federal government should expect to pay. It does not include students who do not receive any grant aid, according to Washington Monthly’s site.

“We are thrilled by this recognition,” Kathryn A. Foster, UMF president, said in the release. “As a premier public, liberal arts college, UMF provides a quality, affordable education from curriculum through career. Many of our students are the first in their families to attend college and we offer a highly personalized educational experience that helps them be successful on every level.”

UMF also was recognized by Washington Monthly’s 2015 College Guide for its contribution to the public good, ranking 52nd out of nearly 350 baccalaureate colleges around the country.

This distinction is based on three equally weighted categories: helping low-income students attend and graduate from college, producing cutting-edge scholarship and encouraging students to give back to their country. These rankings are based on the three most recent years of data, helping to paint a picture of each institution’s performance, according to the UMF release.

Washington Monthly created the college guide to provide “honest and practical information you need to make sense of the college process.” UMF has been recognized by these rankings every year since 2010, according to the university.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net

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