The University of Richmond and four public universities in Virginia were named "Best Values" by the Princeton Review in its newest issue. UR was ranked in the top 50 in the Best Value Colleges private universities category, while the University of Virginia (No. 1) and The College of William & Mary (No. 7) were ranked in the Best Value Colleges public universities category. James Madison University and Virginia Tech each earned inclusion in the same category; the magazine only ranked the top 10 colleges.

“This national recognition of these outstanding universities and their efforts to make higher education more accessible and affordable is a great building block toward making Virginia one of the most highly educated states in the nation," Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said. "Having five colleges and universities named to this prestigious list reinforces that the Commonwealth is a national leader for higher education.

“Making college more affordable and expanding the number of degrees issued by Virginia universities to residents of the Commonwealth is vital to preparing them for the top jobs of the future. We are working very closely with our institutions of higher education to meet the goals I outlined in my legislative package in January.”

To view the complete lists of colleges and universities selected, visit the Princeton Review’s website or USA Today’s website. The USA Today site (http://www.BestValueColleges.usatoday.com) features a database that allows users to view in-depth details about the schools including information about the criteria used to select these lists and the Princeton Review’s analysis of why each school was chosen as a Best Value College.