The University of Mary Washington has been recognized among the nation’s best public colleges, according to a national study published in The Business Journals on Thursday, Feb. 12. Placing in the top 75 best public colleges, Mary Washington ranks 67 out of a total of 484 four-year public institutions that provide academic excellence, affordability and diversity. “[The Business Journals’] 19-part formula pinpointed the public universities and colleges that offer the best educational experiences to their students,” according to a statistical analysis by The Business Journals. “It gave the highest marks to schools with highly selective admissions processes, strong retention and graduation rates, prestigious reputations, affordable tuitions and housing costs, diverse faculties and student bodies, and economically robust communities.” The study was based on data from the National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The Business Journals also considered recent rankings by Forbes, Kiplinger’s, U.S. News and World Report and Washington Monthly. UMW also was recently listed in The Princeton Review’s Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Best Value Colleges and What It Takes to Get In – 2015 Edition. The university was recognized as a Best Southeastern College and one of Princeton Review’s Best 379 Colleges.