The Princeton Review’s “Best Colleges for 2024" Rankings Lists Are Out

Lists Name Top 25 Colleges in 50 Categories from Financial Aid to Career Services
Based on Surveys of 165,000 Students Who Rated Their Schools on Dozens of Topics

NEW YORK, August 15, 2023 / —  The Princeton Review ® —one of the nation’s leading education services companies—today reported its 32nd annual “Best Colleges” rankings. The company’s college ranking lists, reported in 50 categories since 1992, are uniquely and solely based on its surveys of college students about their schools.

The 50 “Best Colleges for 2024” ranking lists, each of which names 25 top schools, are posted on PrincetonReview.com here. The lists are also published in The Princeton Review college guide, The Best 389 Colleges, the 2024 edition of which went on sale today (Penguin Random House, $26.99). A short list of 25 of the 50 ranking categories reported today and the #1 college on each list is below.

Unlike college rankings that focus exclusively on academics and that are derived solely from institutional data and college administrator “peer” reviews, The Princeton Review rankings, tallied in multiple categories, are derived from student reports of their experiences at the schools in its annual “Best Colleges” guidebook.

For the 50 ranking lists reported today, The Princeton Review data operations team tallied 165,000 surveys of students at the schools in The Best 389 Colleges (about 424 per school on average). The surveys were conducted in 2022–23 and/or the previous two academic years. The 85-question survey asked students to rate their professors, administrators, financial aid, campus amenities, school services, and other aspects of life at their colleges on a five-point scale and to report on their experiences at them. Information on the survey and the methodology for the ranking lists is here on PrincetonReview.com.

“We created our rankings to provide a resource for college applicants that helps them answer what may well be the toughest question in their college search—‘What’s the best school for me?’” said Rob Franek, editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review and lead author of The Best 389 Colleges. “Our selection of colleges for this book reflects our high opinion of the schools: we recommend each one as academically outstanding. Our ranking lists reflect the opinions of the school’s students—their customers—and their reports to us about their campus experiences.”

“We thank the more than 2.9 million college students who have participated in our surveys for our ranking lists over the years. We know their feedback has contributed to many applicants finding their best-fit college,” Franek added. “We also thank the more than 12,000 college applicants and parents of applicants who participated in our 2023 College Hopes & Worries Survey for their answers to one of our survey questions, ‘What matters most in your college searches?’  Out of several answer choices we asked them to rank in order of importance, the selections appearing on most lists were academics (97%), financial aid (72%), amenities (70%), career services (55%), and campus culture (54%).”

Twenty-five of The Princeton Review's 50 categories of "Best Colleges" ranking lists, and the college ranked #1 on the list(s) for 2024:

  • Best Professors — Sarah Lawrence College (NY)
  • Most Accessible Professors — Wabash College (IN)
  • Best College Library— Brigham Young University (UT)
  • Best Science Lab Facilities — Union College (NY)
  • Best-Run Colleges — University of Dayton (OH)
  • Great Financial Aid — Washington University in St. Louis (MO)
  • Most Beautiful Campus — University of Richmond (VA)
  • Best Campus Food — University of Massachusetts—Amherst
  • Best College Dorms — Washington University in St. Louis (MO)
  • College City Gets High Marks — Tulane University (LA)
  • Best Quality of Life — Vanderbilt University (TN)
  • Best Career Services — Bentley University (MA)
  • Best Student Support and Counseling Services — United States Naval Academy (MD)
  • Best Health Services — University of Virginia
  • Students Love Their School Teams — Gonzaga University (WA)
  • Best Athletic Facilities — Auburn University (AL)
  • Everyone Plays Intramural Sports—Gettysburg College (PA)
  • Most Conservative Students —Thomas Aquinas College (CA)
  • Most Liberal Students — Sarah Lawrence College (NY)
  • Most Politically Active Students — Claremont McKenna College (CA)
  • Most Religious Students — Brigham Young University (UT)
  • LGBTQ-Friendly — Reed College (OR)
  • Lots of Greek Life — Wofford College (SC)
  • Lots of Race/Class Interaction — Rice University (TX)
  • Friendliest Students — Kansas State University

About The Princeton Review

The schools in this book comprise 15% of America’s four-year colleges and universities. The profiles have information on the schools’ admission and aid application requirements, enrollment, acceptance rates, and student body demographics. Quotes from surveyed students reveal their opinions on everything from their profs to their campus food. The profiles also include The Princeton Review’s “Inside Word” about the college, and its ratings (scores from 60 to 99) of the schools in eight categories including Financial Aid and Admissions Selectivity. A QR code connects the reader to the school’s profile on PrincetonReview.com. The chapter of 50 ranking lists also includes The Princeton Review’s list of 209 Best Value Colleges for 2023 and some of the company’s additional ranking lists.

The Best 389 Colleges is one of more than 150 books developed by The Princeton Review and published by Penguin Random House. Other college-related books in the line include Paying for College (2024 edition forthcoming September 19, 2023), Essays That Kicked Apps (forthcoming September 19, 2023), The K&W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Differences (16th edition forthcoming September 5, 2023), College Admission 101 (May 17, 2022), and The Ultimate Guide to HBCUs (July 5, 2022). 

Today, The Princeton Review also reported findings of its 4th annual College Administrator Summer Survey. The 2023 survey polled administrators from July 1 to July 28 at schools in The Best 389 Colleges as well as schools the company named as Best Regional Colleges for 2024. Administrators reported on their institution’s fall enrollment forecasts, test policies, and other issues as well as their views on trending topics including the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action and the potential use of AI (artificial intelligence) in the college admissions process. A release on the survey findings is in the company’s Media Center. It has a link to an infographic depicting selected findings and a downloadable full report on the survey. 

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; 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 42nd year. The company’s Tutor.com brand, now in its 23rd 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 24 million one-to-one tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review is headquartered in New York, NY. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit PrincetonReview.com and the company’s Media Center. Follow the company on Twitter (@ThePrincetonRev) and Instagram (@theprincetonreview).

The Best 389 Colleges: 2024 Edition

by Robert Franek with David Soto, Stephen Koch, Aaron Riccio, Laura Rose, and The Staff of The Princeton Review

Penguin Random House • $26.99  ($35.99 CAN) • August 15, 2023 • 880 pages • ISBN 9780593516867

by Robert Franek with David Soto, Stephen Koch, Aaron Riccio, and Laura Rose

Penguin Random House • Trade paperback $24.99 (Canada $33.99) • August 23, 2022 • 880 pages

SOURCE: The Princeton Review

WEBSITE: www.princetonreview.com

-# # #-

CONTACT: Jeanne Krier, Publicist for The Princeton Review, PressOffice@review.com

NOTE TO EDITORS: Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief, The Princeton Review and author of The Best 389 Colleges, and David Soto, Senior Director of Data Operations, are available for interviews. Reporter resources are available at https://www.princetonreview.com/press/best-colleges-presskit. They include a sheet showing the 50 ranking list categories and #1 schools on each list, a “By the Numbers” sheet with interesting stats about this project, and a high-res jpeg of the book’s cover. Breakout lists showing colleges in the book and ranking lists they made (if so) are viewable alphabetical by college, and alphabetical by state/city/college at https://secure.princetonreview.com/media-best-colleges.

–0–