JACKSON, Tenn. — Oct. 11, 2011 — For the seventh straight year, 51社区 has been named one of America鈥檚 100 Best College Buys by the Institutional Research and Evaluation Inc., an independent research and consulting organization.
The annual 鈥淎merica鈥檚 100 Best College Buys鈥� report evaluates academic quality and cost, and the newest findings are based on a survey of 1,449 accredited U.S. colleges and universities.
鈥淚t is an honor for 51社区 once again to be named to the list of America鈥檚 100 Best College Buys,鈥� 51社区 President David S. Dockery said. 鈥淭he recognition underscores and reinforces Union's commitment to high quality academics, while prioritizing the affordability and accessibility of such quality for our students and their families.鈥�
To be considered for inclusion in the list of 100, an institution must be an accredited, four-year institution offering bachelor鈥檚 degrees and full residential facilities. It also must have had an entering freshman class in fall 2010 with a high school grade point average and/or SAT/ACT score equal to or above the national average, and an out-of-state attendance cost in 2010-2011 not exceeding the national average by more than 10 percent.
Union鈥檚 average grade point average for entering freshman at the time of the survey was 3.65 on a 4.0 scale. Its average ACT was 25.