The University of Connecticut has been named No. 25 on the Kiplinger's Personal Finance's list of 100 best values in public colleges for 2012-13. The ranking cites four-year schools that combine outstanding education with economic value.

Last year, UConn was ranked at No. 30 on the annual list, and was at No. 32 the year before that.

According to the magazine, its process begins with data on more than 500 public institutions. The schools are sorted based on measures of quality - including admission rate, test scores of incoming freshmen and four- and six-year graduation rates. Data on cost is then added - including tuition, fees, and room and board, as well as financial aid for in-state and out-of-state students - creating combined criteria based on both quality and affordability.

Many schools have appeared on the list multiple times, including UConn.

The annual public school rankings appear in Kiplinger's February issue now on newsstands.