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COLUMBIA (WACH) -- Three South Carolina schools have been placed in the top 100 best values for 2011.

The University of South Carolina dropped a few spots over last year to number 42 on the list compiled by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.

Clemson came in at 41 and the College of Charleston ranked 84th.

The magazine's February issue says the schools exemplify excellent academics while keeping tuition costs to a minimum.

Over 500 public schools were looked at in this year's research.

The magazine "Kiplinger's Personal Finance" named three South Carolina colleges "best values" for 2011.

Clemson University ranked 41st out of the top one hundred. The University of South Carolina came in next at 42nd. The College of Charleston ranked 84th.

Take a look at the entire list and how other schools compare:

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2. University of Florida
3. University of Virginia
4. College of William and Mary (Va.)
5. University of Maryland, College Park
6. Binghamton University (SUNY)
7. SUNY Geneseo
8. University of Georgia
9. University of Wisconsin-Madison
10. University of Washington
11. New College of Florida
12. University of California, San Diego
13. University of California, Los Angeles
14. University of Texas at Austin
15. North Carolina State University
16. University of California, Berkeley
17. University of California, Irvine
18. Georgia Institute of Technology
19. James Madison University (Va.)
20. Florida State University
21. College of New Jersey
22. University of Michigan
23. Texas A&M University
24. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ.
25. Stony Brook University (SUNY)
26. University of Mary Washington (Va.) 27.
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
28. University of Pittsburgh (Pa.)
29. University of Delaware
30. Indiana University, Bloomington
31. Truman State University (Mo.)
32. University of Connecticut
33. University of Central Florida
34. University of California, Santa Barbara
35. Appalachian State University (N.C.)
36. SUNY New Paltz
37. University of California, Davis
38. Ohio State University
39. Michigan State University
40. St. Mary's College of Maryland
41. Clemson University (S.C.)
42. University of South Carolina
43. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
44. Pennsylvania State Univ. at University Park
45. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
46. University at Buffalo (SUNY)
47. SUNY Oneonta
48. Univ. of North Carolina School of the Arts
49. Ramapo College of New Jersey
50. Cal. Polytechnic State Univ., San Luis Obispo
51. Rutgers, State Univ. of N.J., New Brunswick
52. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
53. Evergreen State College (wash.)
54. University of Texas at Dallas
55. University of South Florida
56. Western Washington University
57. University of Arkansas
58. University of North Carolina at Asheville
59. Colorado School of Mines
60. Salisbury University (Md.)
61. George Mason University (Va.)
62. University of Iowa
63. SUNY Brockport
64. SUNY Plattsburgh
65. SUNY Fredonia
66. Purdue University (Ind.)
67. University of Nebraska-Lincoln
68. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
69. University of California, Santa Cruz
70. SUNY Cortland
71. West Chester University of Pennsylvania
72. University of Vermont
73. University at Albany (SUNY)
74. University of Tennessee
75. University of Missouri-Columbia
76. Louisiana State University
77. Miami University (Ohio)
78. Towson University (Md.)
79. California State University, Long Beach
80. Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology
81. University of Oklahoma
82. University of Alabama
83. University of Massachusetts-Amherst
84. College of Charleston (S.C.)
85. University of Colorado at Boulder
86. Missouri Univ. of Science and Technology
87. University of Minnesota, Morris
88. Bloomsburg Univ. of Pennsylvania
89. University of Oregon
90. Colorado State University
91. University of Maryland, Baltimore
92. San Diego State University (Cal.)
93. University of New Hampshire
94. Temple University (Pa.)
95. Illinois State University
96. Auburn University (Ala.)
97. Florida International University
98. Washington State University
99. Millersville University of Pennsylvania
100. Georgia College & State University