Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, a publisher of business forecasts and personal finance advice, named Kalamazoo College among its 400 Best College Values for 2019 on Thursday.

The rankings place K No. 92 overall in the country and No. 50 among private liberal arts schools, making it the top-ranked private liberal arts college in Michigan. The honor confirms that K combines a quality education with affordability to provide a transformative experience accessible to students regardless of their financial need. That transformative experience is available through the K-Plan, which combines rigorous scholarship, experiential learning, independent research and international and intercultural engagement in a distinctive approach to the liberal arts and sciences.

“The flexibility of the K-Plan allows us to seek out students with a broad array of interests, achievements and experiences,” said Eric Staab, K’s dean of admission and financial aid. “Our efforts attempt to prevent costs from being barriers for students who can contribute their distinctive ideas and talents to, and benefit from, our richly diverse campus and programs.”

Kiplinger’s analyzes employment outcomes, graduation rates, student-to-faculty ratios and low student debt at graduation to compile its rankings. More than 98 percent of all K students receive financial aid and/or scholarships, 74 percent graduate within four years, and 91 percent of the class of 2018 was employed within six months of graduation.

The full list will appear in the September 2019 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.