Brigham Young University's graduate schools continue to compete with other nationally recognized institutions for far less money, according to U.S. News & World Report rankings released Thursday.

The Marriott School of Management was ranked 29th in the nation among business schools for the second year running, tying its highest-ever honors. It fared even better among schools with an accounting specialty, taking eighth place overall. Its Romney Institute of Public Management was also ranked No. 51 among public affairs programs.

Gary Cornia, dean of the Marriott School, said the recognition is an honor, but he prefers to measure the school's success by its graduates' influence for good in society.

"These rankings continue to shine a bright light on the quality of our students and the education they receive," he said. "We are honored to be recognized with so many other top-flight business schools."

What's perhaps more striking than the school's continued success is its low tuition in comparison to other places on the list. For $9,240 a year, BYU business grad students can get an education ranked higher than that of Tulane University in New Orleans ($40,229 a year) or Vanderbilt University in Nashville ($39,992 a year).

Only No. 22 Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta boasted a lower annual tuition, at $7,724 -- but that number is quadrupled for out-of-state students. Others, like No. 2 Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., charged as much as $48,921 a year.

The university's J. Reuben Clark Law School moved up five spots from last year to place 41st among law schools. It also ranked 10th for students graduating with the least debt and 17th for its legal writing specialty.

"We are pleased to be recognized among the top quarter of law schools in the country," said James D. Gordon III, the school's interim dean. "Our students continue to be among the most qualified in the nation, and we are pleased that their passage rates on bar examinations are high."

The law school's tuition of $18,480 a year also represented a bargain among top scoring schools.

Schools that ranked lower but charged more included No. 61 Brooklyn Law School in New York City ($42,375 a year) and No. 77 Seton Hall University in Newark, N.J. ($41,160 a year). Several state-run schools offered lower tuition to state residents, but no other private school came close.

• Ace Stryker can be reached at (801) 344-2556 or astryker@heraldextra.com.