Kansas University again has been ranked a “best buy” by a national college directory.

The tuition figures used by “Fiske’s Guide to Colleges” were from the 1999-2000 school year  before the university increased its tuition rates  leaving KU’s “best buy” status in doubt for the future.

But one KU administrator said the principles that led to KU’s designation would continue in the future, despite a series of proposed tuition increases that could double tuition over the next five years. This year, KU raised its tuition by 25.2 percent  from $1,166 per semester to $1,460 per semester for a full-time, in-state student.

“We’re always going to be committed to keeping KU affordable and at the same time maintaining the strong sense of quality and excellence,” said Janet Murguia, executive vice chancellor for university relations. “We want to strike the right balance between affordability and quality.”

KU was the only Big 12 university included in the 21 public “best buy” schools. No other Kansas university was included.

KU has been named a “best buy” since 1997.

Murguia said she thought the designation could continue because even with increased tuition, KU remains cheaper for resident students than many other schools, such as the universities of Missouri and Nebraska and Iowa State University.

“You have to remember when you compare us to other comparable universities, we’re still a great value,” she said.

In using the 1999-2000 tuition rates, Fiske authors note that many universities are increasing in cost but said most of their relationships to one another in price won’t change much.

“With KU’s huge number of high-ranking academic programs, its national reputation (the non-basketball one) has certainly improved,” they wrote. “It’s true: Kansas is a heck of a deal.”

The guide also named six programs the strongest at KU. They are architecture and urban design, education, environmental studies, journalism, nursing/pharmacy and social welfare.

Overall, KU’s academic programs received four stars of a possible five.