For the ninth straight year, the University of Iowa has been designated a “Best Buy” in the Fiske Guide to Colleges.

The creation of a former New York Times education editor, the Fiske Guide has been a respected college search tool used by parents, college-bound students, and their guidance counselors for 30 years. The UI is one of only 21 public universities from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada on the list and one of four Big Ten schools included along with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Purdue University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

To receive a "Best Buy" designation, schools had to have high academic rankings, an inexpensive or moderate price, and a high quality of student life on campus. In all, 41 schools received the "Best Buy" designation, including 20 private institutions.

In January, Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine cited the UI among its 100 best values in higher education, ranking the university 49th for in-state tuition and making it the state's top value for Iowa residents. Kiplinger's ranked the UI 72nd among public universities for out-of-state tuition.

Fiske Guide to Colleges 2014 is available in print (ISBN: 9781402260643), as an iPad app on iTunes, and a Web app on CollegeCountdown.com.

For more information about applying to the UI, visit admissions.uiowa.edu.