Furman again featured in The Princeton Review’s ‘Best Colleges’ guide

Furman University has again been named one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduates according to The Princeton Review’s “The Best 388 Colleges: 2023 Edition,” ranking in “best quality of life,” “best classroom experience” and other categories. Furman has appeared in the guide every year since the inaugural edition was released 30 years ago.

Furman has appeared in the guide every year since the 1992 inaugural edition.

Only about 14 percent of the nation’s 2,700 four-year colleges are profiled in the book. The Princeton Review chose the colleges based on data it annually collects from surveys of 2,000 college administrators about their institutions’ academic offerings. The company also reviews data from its surveys of students attending the schools.

The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges in the guide hierarchically, from one to 388. However, the book offers 50 categories of ranking lists, naming the top 25 schools in each category. The ranking lists are tallied based on The Princeton Review’s surveys of 160,000 students at the 388 schools profiled. Furman received a top-25 rank on several of those lists:

• #5 Most Politically Active Students
• #11 Most Accessible Professors
• #11 Best College Theater
• #14 Most Active Student Government
• #16 Best Quality of Life
• #17 Best Classroom Experience

In Furman’s profile, students commented on academics, student life and the overall student body. Undergraduates remarked on Furman’s efforts to recruit a more diverse student body. They noted that Furman attracts students who “are very motivated and driven to perform well academically.” And while aspirations tend to be high for students, intense competition among students is not. One student said that undergraduates “push each other to be the best people possible.”

Earlier this year, Furman appeared in The Princeton Review’s “Best Value Colleges,” a compilation of 209 institutions earning the highest return-on-investment ratings. The ratings are based on 40 data points including academics, cost/financial aid, student debt, career placement services and graduation rates, in addition to alumni salary levels and job satisfaction.