In an era of rapidly rising college costs, the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2012 has named Warren Wilson College as one of the nation’s 25 “Best Buys” among private colleges and universities for the sixth time in eight years.

According to the 2012 guide, schools “qualify as Best Buys based on the quality of the academic offerings in relation to the cost of attendance” – or as the book also puts it, “outstanding academics with relatively modest prices.” With tuition and fees of under $27,000 for the 2011-12 academic year, Warren Wilson is rated as “inexpensive” in relation to other private colleges and universities in the selective guide.

In its narrative on the college, the Fiske guide notes, “Success at Warren Wilson is measured not only by grades, but by community service and a sense of stewardship…. [The college] promotes global perspectives, puts students to work on the campus farm, and makes service-learning a central part of the educational experience.”

In addition to giving the college high marks for its academics, social life and affordability, the Fiske guide gives Warren Wilson the highest possible rating for its overall quality of life for undergraduate students.

The Fiske Guide to Colleges, first published in 1982, has been called “the best college guide you can buy” by USA Today.