Editor-in-Chief, The Princeton Review

Rob Franek

A national expert on colleges and higher education, Rob is a publisher, editor, author, lecturer, media contributor, and former college admissions administrator. His career in education spans 34 years.

As Editor-in-Chief at The Princeton Review®, he oversees its line of 150+ Princeton Review books—from test-prep guides to study aids—that are distributed by Penguin Random House. 

It is his interactions with students, parents, educators, and counselors, however, that Rob cites as his most inspiring professional experiences. Over the years, he has visited more than 1,200 high schools and more than 1,000 colleges and graduate schools. He gives more than 100 talks a year to audiences of students, parents, and counselor/advisors and he has delivered commencement addresses at three universities. He also presents keynotes, chairs panels, and speaks at regional and national conferences including the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the SXSW EDU Conference & Festival.

Rob is author of four books: The Best 391 Colleges, The Best Value Colleges, College Admission 101, and Colleges That Create Futures. He inspired and managed the publications of The Ultimate Guide to HBCUs and The College Wellness Guide.

Rob also directs The Princeton Review's annual surveys of students, parents, and school administrators. He has polled millions of college and graduate school students for the company’s annual school rankings. Based entirely on student feedback about their schools, the rankings are tallied in dozens of categories. He also directs the company’s annual College Hopes & Worries Survey of college applicants and their parents, now in its 24th year.

Rob has hosted 150+ videos on The Princeton Review's YouTube channel which has more than 170K subscribers. Among them: 2025 Best Value Colleges, The ACT is Changing: 5 Things to Know, 3 DOs + 2 DON'Ts for Taking the Digital SAT, and SAT vs ACT: How to Choose the Right Test. Collectively the videos have received more than a million views.

Sourced on college topics by the AP, New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, and other media, Rob has also appeared on hundreds of broadcasts including more than 35 segments on NBC TODAY where Hoda Kotb, the show's former co-anchor, once introduced him saying “He talks. We listen!”  Rob has also appeared on ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, NPR, PBS, and NHK (Japan) programs as well as on Teen Kids News, an Emmy-award winning syndicated show.

Rob earned his B.A. at Drew University (NJ) and serves on its Board of Trustees. Prior to joining The Princeton Review in 1999, he was a college admissions administrator at Wagner College (NY) for six years. A resident of Manhattan, Rob is a New York City history buff and an avid runner.

Some of Rob's 2025 national media interviews include:

About The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admissions services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school–bound students as well as working professionals achieve their education and career goals through its many education services and products. These include online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors; online resources; a line of more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House; and dozens of categories of school rankings. Founded in 1981, The Princeton Review is now in its 45th year. The company’s Tutor.com brand, now in its 25th year, is one of the largest online tutoring services in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered more than 29 million tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review, U.S.-owned and operated, is headquartered in New York, NY. The company is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit PrincetonReview.com and the company's Media Center. Follow the company on Instagram (@theprincetonreview), LinkedIn (the-princeton-review), YouTube (@ThePrincetonReview), and TikTok (@princeton.review).

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Franek is pronounced FRAN-ik.
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Contact: Jeanne Krier, Publicist for The Princeton Review, pressoffice@review.com

Updated February 2026