Princeton Review Ranks UMaine Among Best Colleges
Contact: Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571
ORONO — For the fifth consecutive year, the Princeton Review lists the University of Maine as one of the nation’s best choices for undergraduate education. The New York-based publisher announced the listings from its annual book, “The Best 368 Colleges,” on Monday. Princeton Review rankings are based on several criteria, including the opinions of each institution’s students.
Only about 15 percent of the four-year colleges in the U.S. are chosen for the list.
“The Princeton Review ranking affirms UMaine’s place as a quality institution in a national context,” says UMaine President Robert Kennedy. “It also shows that UMaine’s students feel good about the UMaine undergraduate experience and that they are willing to tell others that UMaine provides both quality and value. I can’t imagine a better recommendation than one coming from our students”
An average of 325 students per institution respond to the Princeton Review’s 80-question survey.
“In our opinion, each school in this book is first-rate academically, ” says Robert Franek, the author at the Princeton Review. “But their campus cultures and offerings differ greatly. Instead of ranking schools academically, 1 to 368, we tally ranking lists in 62 categories based on what students at the schools (their customers) report to us about them. We also compile rating scores in eight categories based on institutional data we collect. We believe college applicants need to know far more about schools than an academic ranking to identify which colleges may be best for them. It’s all about the fit.”
“We are excited about UMaine’s current direction and its bright future, and this ranking signifies strong appreciation for the quality of of the UMaine experience,” Kennedy says.
Fall semester classes begin at UMaine on Tuesday, Sept. 2.