KINGS POINT, N.Y., April 25, 2023 - The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) is one of the Nation's best colleges for students seeking a great education with excellent career preparation and at a relatively affordable price, according to The Princeton Review^®. Earlier today, the education services company named USMMA as one of its Best Value Colleges for 2023.

“We are very proud to be included in this year’s list of 'Best Value Colleges'," said Vice Admiral Joanna M. Nunan, Superintendent. “Each USMMA graduate receives a tuition-free world-class education, but the true value is shared with the people of the United States who benefit greatly from their service to our nation.”

Upon graduation, midshipmen receive a Bachelor of Science Degree, an Officer’s Commission in the U.S. Military and a United States Coast Guard Merchant Marine Officer License which ensures a steady stream of U.S. merchant marine officers to support the Nation’s economic and security interests. In exchange for their education, Kings Point graduates serve five years on active-duty in the U.S. military, or work in the maritime industry for five years with an eight-year commission in any branch of the reserves.

The Princeton Review chose 209 schools for the 2023 list based on data from its surveys of administrators at more than 650 colleges in 2022-23. Topics covered everything from academics, cost, and financial aid to graduation rates, student debt.

The company also factored in data from its surveys of students attending the schools as well as data from PayScale.com’s surveys of alumni of the schools about their starting and mid-career salaries and job satisfaction. The Princeton Review does not rank the Best Value Colleges hierarchically on a single list, from 1 to 209.

"The schools we chose as our Best Value Colleges for 2023 are a select group: they comprise only about 8% of the nation’s four-year undergraduate institutions,” said Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief of The Princeton Review. “We commend their administrators, faculties, staff, and alumni for all they are doing to educate their students and guide them to success in their careers. These colleges are also exceptional for the generous amount of financial aid they award to students with need and/or for their comparatively low cost of attendance.”

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ABOUT USMMA

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, located in Kings Point, N.Y, educates and graduates leaders of exemplary character who are inspired to serve the national security, marine transportation, and economic needs of the United States as licensed Merchant Marine Officers and commissioned officers in the Armed Forces. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Academy, which was established under the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, as the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1943. It is administered by the Maritime Administration under the auspices of the Department of Transportation.