Their findings showed Pomona to be the best value liberal arts college and California institute of Technology the best value university.  The study assesses the academic quality of the institutions and then compares this to the costs of attending and their generosity with financial aid. Therefore institutions with high tuition fees may still be ranked as good value if they offer a lot of financial aid. Read the results here.

You can also search particular institutions or particular states’ value for money here.

This comes as a refreshing revelation after The Chronicle of Higher Education published a report of the most expensive US colleges in their annual survey of college tuition. The Kiplinger report shows that even though institutions may be counted amongst the most expensive for tuition and living costs, when the financial aid available is taken into account they can still be counted amongst the best value for money.

The Kiplinger website states: “Our rankings measure academic quality and affordability, with quality accounting for two-thirds of the total. We started with data on more than 600 private institutions provided by Peterson’s, then added our own reporting. Our list ranks the top 50 universities and liberal-arts colleges in separate tables. To determine each category, we used the Carnegie classification system, which organizes institutions based on the highest level and number of degrees offered.”

Next week will see the launch of i-studentadvisor’s first issue of i-LASH, the online magazine to promote courses and institutions in the fields of liberal arts, social sciences and humanities internationally.

The liberal arts, social sciences and humanities and the subjects encompassed within, continue to be popular study options for both international and domestic students.In particular, psychology and politics remain in the top 15 subject choices for international students in the UK in 2009, whilst history, sociology, geography and philosophy also feature highly.

The social sciences are about people and how they behave, both individually and collectively, as part of society. The role of the social scientist is to question and attempt to understand the environmental, social, biological or cultural factors which shape, change and diversify societies and the individuals within. Similarly, the humanities encompass academic disciplines, which study the human condition. This is done using methods that are principally analytic, critical or speculative, rather than empirically focused.

For those students not wishing to focus on one specific subject, the liberal arts are a good choice. This indicates a curriculum which imparts general knowledge, rather than specialising in one particular field. Study areas include languages, literature, history, philosophy, mathematics and science, designed to develop an individuals rational thought and intellectual capabilities. Throughout the US, there are many public and private colleges and universities emphasising undergraduate study in 
the liberal arts.

A critical mind is essential when studying in the field of liberal arts, social sciences and humanities and you can expect to be equipped with the skills to analyse, scrutinise and question issues of society, culture and humanity.

Many liberal arts, social sciences and humanities graduates pursue successful careers in teaching, research and public service or policy. Whilst others go on to become psychologists, counsellors or to work in human resources or other business sectors. Alternatively, almost 50% of humanities and social science graduates go on to further study.

In this issue we have collaborated with writers, professionals and academics within the liberal arts, social sciences and humanities sectors to create a guide to the individual subjects in these fascinating fields and the endless career possibilities that follow.

The i-LASH issue will be online on Wednesday 7th October at www.i-studentadvisor.com check the website on Wednesday to get the first look at the issue our subscribe free to get all the latest i-studentadvisor issues direct to your inbox.