Kiplinger acquires data, including the student-faculty ratio, tuition rates and financial aid, from 600 public institutions, then ranks the top 100 schools with the highest financial value, Kiplinger senior associate editor Marc Wojno said.

“(Kiplinger’s) formula weighs cost factors, such as tuition and room and board, as 45 percent of the total value of a school,” Wojno said. “The other 55 percent are quality factors, like standardized test scores and graduation rates.”

Wojno said using this formula, MSU made a very tall standing in the magazine’s rankings.

Wojno said statistics such as MSU’s 16-to-1 faculty ratio helped the university score higher than others. He also said the university’s freshman class’s high test scores were part of its high ranking. Seventy-two percent of this year’s incoming freshman class scored a 24 or higher on the ACT.

Wojno said MSU’s financial aid to students also was helpful in its ranking.

“(Attending MSU) is quite affordable if you qualify for need-based aid,” Wojno said. “When you factor in need-based aid, the average price of attending MSU is $13,504. That’s a heck of a lot less than other schools in the rankings.”

Val Meyers, associate director of the MSU Office of Financial Aid, said the university has helped to increase aid to students as tuition costs have increased.

“The university has made a commitment to helping bring a lot of institutional aid to help students,” Meyers said.

Meyers said in the 2012 fiscal year, 69 percent of MSU students received some form of financial aid.

Part of Kiplinger’s formula for computing value rankings factors in the average debt of students at graduation. According to information provided by MSU, the website found the average MSU student leaves the school $23,725 in debt.

“We do a lot of counseling to help students leave school with as little debt as possible,” Meyers said. “Sure, financial aid resources are available to students, but we remind them to live as (financially lean) as possible when they are students.”

Amelia Clary, a kinesiology junior, said attending MSU is worth the price.

“I feel like I’m getting a good education but not paying a ridiculous amount for it,” Clary said. “The price of (attending MSU) is definitely manageable to pay off.”

MSU held a slightly higher ranking this year for in-state value than it did last year, when it placed 49th on Kiplinger’s list. It also dropped slightly from 61st for out-of-state value.