Students in the Class of 2001 at the University of Virginia's College at Wise graduated with less debt than students at any other liberal arts university in the nation, according to the most recent U.S. News & World Report college guide released Sept. 12.
"It's pretty remarkable that students are graduating from here with the lowest debt level nationally, but especially considering that we have the highest percentage of students qualifying for financial aid," said Rusty Necessary, College at Wise'sdirector of admissions and financial aid. "We have about 70 percent of our students qualifying for aid, which is more than any other college or university in Virginia."
Taking the No. 1 spot in the magazine's rankings, the College at Wise moved up from the third place position it held in last year's report, according to Jane Meade-Dean, director of college relations at the College at Wise.
The rankings are based on data that include student loans from the colleges themselves, from federal, state and local governments and from financial institutions.
According to the magazine's rankings, 66 percent of the members of the College at Wise's class of 2001 graduated in debt, with an average amount of $6,179.
Wesleyan University ranked at the bottom of the list for liberal arts schools, with 46 percent of students leaving school in debt owing an average of $24,448.
Necessary said the school has strived to make college affordable for students.
"This is an affirmation for our financial packaging philosophy of working with our students to cover" what they need while creating the least debt necessary, Necessary said. "It's also an affirmation for our donors, who are helping to offer scholarships for our students" to help with their needs.
Necessary praised the staff in the financial aid department for working with students to coordinate manageable loans.
Necessary said the greatest result "is that students are leaving University of Virginia's College at Wise with a University of Virginia diploma at a debt level they can manage."
The College at Wise also ranked in the nation's top 10 public liberal arts universities for the second year in a row, according to Meade-Dean.
An actual numerical ranking from that category is not yet available for the school because "only the top five schools are given ranks," Meade-Dean said. However, the College at Wise is "expected to have moved up a couple notches" from last year's ninth place ranking of public liberal arts universities.
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