Kansas University ranks 28th among the “best values” in public colleges and universities in the October edition of Kiplinger’s magazine.

The business magazine weighed schools’ 2002-2003 tuition and other costs against such “quality” standards as student-to-faculty ratios and average SAT and ACT scores.

The only Big 12 school with a higher ranking was the University of Missouri-Columbia at 26th. Kansas State University was ranked 72nd on the list.

KU also was one of nine universities named a best bargain for out-of-state students, with an average yearly cost of $17,092.

KU recently was among 21 public “best buys” listed in The Fiske Guide to Colleges. But that ranking included tuition figures from 1999-2000, before the latest tuition increases.