The Geisel Library at UC San Diego. Photo by Chris Stone
The Geisel Library at UC San Diego. Photo by Chris Stone

UC San Diego ranked 20th and San Diego State University 87th for best value among public colleges in a list issued Thursday by Kiplinger, a national personal finance magazine.

Both schools had relatively low costs, good salaries after graduation and low student debt.

The rankings heavily favored private institutions, so when all colleges were figured in, UCSD slipped to 131st and SDSU to 204th. The University of San Diego ranked 229th.

“UC San Diego is dedicated to remaining accessible and affordable while providing a world-class education to our students,” said Chancellor Pradeep Khosla. “We are proud to offer generous financial aid packages and other resources that enable upward social mobility.”

Kiplinger’s recognized UCSD for the number of students on campus who receive federal need-based grants for low-income students.

According to the 2015 UCSD college profile, 68 percent of undergraduates received financial aid, including student and parent loans, and 58 percent were awarded need-based scholarship or grant aid.

— City News Service

Chris Jennewein is founder and senior editor of Times of San Diego.