Bluffton University offers "a great education at a great price among regional colleges" in the Midwest, according to U.S. News & World Report.

The 2011 edition of the magazine's Best Colleges guidebook ranks Bluffton in the top 10 of the "Great Schools, Great Prices" category, and in the top tier-placing 20th among 95 institutions-of the "Best Regional Colleges" listing.

"Being recognized as a great school for a great price is wonderful affirmation that a Bluffton education and campus experience is a good investment," said Dr. Eric Fulcomer, vice president for enrollment management and student life. "Parents and prospective students can be assured that Bluffton University is among the very best regional colleges for quality and price."

Bluffton, which has made the U.S. News rankings the last 13 years, is the only Ohio institution among the 10 regional colleges in the Midwest listed as providing the best value.

"The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal," the magazine explains. At Bluffton, 86 percent of students received need-based grants, resulting in an average savings of more than 40 percent from total cost.

Regional colleges are defined as institutions that focus almost entirely on the undergraduate experience and offer a broad range of programs in the liberal arts-though those programs account for fewer than half of all bachelor's degrees awarded-and in fields such as business and education.

For the magazine's purposes, the Midwest encompasses 12 states, from Ohio west to the Dakotas, Nebraska and Kansas.

The annual college guide uses seven indicators to determine quality, including assessment by administrators at peer institutions, student retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving and-for national universities and national liberal arts colleges-graduation rates.