By Nanette Light
The Norman Transcript

OU is ranked No. 10 on the Princeton Review's list of 100 Best Value Colleges for 2010 for four-year public and private institutions.

"We are pleased, but not surprised, that OU continues to consistently rank in the top public universities in the nation in terms of academic excellence and cost for students," said Catherine Bishop, vice president for Public Affairs.

The Princeton Review chose 50 public and 50 private universities to feature on its list based on surveys of administrators and students at more than 650 public and private college and university campuses.

According to USA Today, which partnered with Princeton Review, the list revealed schools that offer the most affordable tuition, exceptional academic programs and generous financial aid packages, based on data submitted from the 2009-2010 academic year.

The review factored in academics, costs and financial aid from about 700 campuses that its editors considered the most selective out of more than 2,000 institutions in the United States.

The University of Virginia and Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa., retain the No. 1 spots for public and private schools from last year.

OU is joined by the University of Colorado-Boulder, Texas A--M, MIT, Virginia Tech, Wellesley and Wesleyan College in Georgia as new additions to the list, according to USA Today.

Despite consistently raising its tuition in the past -- except for this year -- Bishop said OU's effort to contain cost and the success of its Campaign for Scholarships, which has allowed the university in four years to more than double its share of privately funded scholarships, may have factored into OU's bump among the top 10.

According to USA Today, Best Value Colleges provided an average of $875 more in grant money per student this year, even though tuition prices for many heightened.

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