Rhode Island's State University is a great deal!

They're finally realizing what we've known all along: state universities can be a great deal, according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal's SmartMoney magazine:

"KINGSTON, R.I. – December 16, 2008 – The January 2009 issue of SmartMoney magazine ranks the University of Rhode Island 15th in a nationwide study of public and private colleges, examining the relationship between tuition costs and graduates’ earning power. In what it called a "twist on traditional college rankings,” the magazine assessed schools on their ability to deliver the best return on investment and sought to quantify the long-term value of a college education."

Working with consultant PayScale.com, the survey looked at what graduates from 50 of the most expensive four-year colleges earn in their early and midcareers. Then they factored in their up-front tuition and fees. The University of Georgia was No. 1 and would deliver a payback nearly three times that of Harvard, noted the article, while the "state universities of Delaware and Rhode Island would beat out every Ivy in the ranking.”

Click here to view the full press release.