WASHINGTON, DC—A new rankings list from Washington Monthly magazine recognizes Washington College as one of the “colleges in America that do the best job of helping non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices.”  It is, as the editors state, “a pretty exclusive list.” Out of the 1,527 colleges and universities the magazine considered, only 349 made it onto the list it calls  “Best Bang-for-the-Buck.” Washington College is ranked #46 among the nation’s private liberal-arts colleges.     Washington Monthly, a bimonthly that focuses largely on government and public policy, based its rankings first on factors that included the percentage of students receiving federal grant aid, graduation rates, and student-loan default rates. Once a school met the basic criteria, it was judged on the “net price of attendance,” meaning the average tuition that first-time, full-time students from families with an annual income of $75,000 or less actually pay after subtracting the need-based financial aid they receive.   “It’s gratifying to see the school recognized for what it does to help lower-income students succeed,” says Washington College president Mitchell B. Reiss. “Our alumni and friends are very generous in contributing money for scholarships, and our financial aid office is dedicated to helping students and their families assemble the best possible aid packages.”   The College also has developed new programs to help first-year students adjust to the academic workload and social aspects of college life. Such support services can be valuable to all students, but especially to those from lower-income households who are often the first ones in their families to attend college. “It’s deeply satisfying to see their personal growth and maturation, to have them take advantage of all that the College has to offer, and to watch as they chart their own paths to personal and professional success,” adds Reiss.