A Web site comparing universities for potential college students ranked Northern Kentucky University in the lowest 20 percent of tuition rates.

“That stems from the commitment from President Votruba to make college affordable for all students,” said Leah Stewart, director of student financial assistance.

The site, City Town Info, based the distinction on the tuition rates offered to in-state residents of each school, according to L.J. Urbano, president of Moving Traffic Inc., publisher of Citytowninfo.com, which provides comparative information about local U.S. communities and the services offered in the area.

According to Urbano, NKU was ranked among other schools such as Florida Atlantic University and California State Long Beach.

“I think a lot of people complain about tuition going up, but what they don’t realize is that tuition is relatively low at NKU,” said Chris Tinsley, sophomore journalism major. “I think (lower tuition) will help us get a broader student base.”

NKU was also ranked in the top 4 percent for number of degree programs, the top 5 percent of number of students enrolled and top 19 percent in number of degrees concentrated in a limited number of degree programs.

Stewart said the ranking is high because NKU has a wealth of financial aid opportunities, such as federal, state and institutional, to provide to assist students in meeting educational costs.