PITTSBURG, Kan. — Pittsburg State University is the 3rd best value college in the state, behind the University of Kansas and Kansas State University, but ahead of Fort Hays, Emporia and Wichita State, among other schools, according to a new study from the financial advice website SmartAsset. The study ranked colleges in categories such as tuition, student living costs and retention rate, starting salary of graduates, and average scholarships and grants. Although the average starting salary of $48,000 for PSU graduates was lower than some of the schools ranked further down the list including Washburn University, Southwestern College, Baker University and Wichita State, factors such as PSU’s relatively low tuition of $7,298 likely contributed to its higher overall ranking.