7 Georgia Schools On Princeton Review’s ‘Best 385’ List

ATLANTA, GA — The Princeton Review has released its annual list of the 385 best colleges, which includes seven schools in Georgia. Along with the list of the best 385 colleges, the Princeton Review ranks colleges in categories like academics and administration, politics, quality of life and more.

“We chose the 385 colleges for this edition as our 'best' overall, academically, based on data we gathered in 2018–19 from more than a thousand school administrators about their schools' academic programs and offerings,” Robert Franek, Princeton Review's editor-in-chief and the lead author of the book, said in a press release.

"We are well aware, however, that applicants need more than an academic assessment to choose the colleges best for them,” Franek said. “We created our dozens of ranking lists specifically to facilitate that search. We tally our lists using data we gather directly from our surveys of students attending these colleges. Our survey asks the students about their professors, administrators, school services, campus culture, and other facets of life at their schools.”

Some Georgia colleges found themselves high on lists that earn praise. For example: Emory University finished 4th in America on the list entitled"Best College Dorms" and was also fifth for "Best Quality of Life," while Agnes Scott College in Decatur finished fifth in the nation for LGBTQ-Friendly. On the flip side, Georgia Institute of Technology was No. 20 for "Best College Radio Station."

On the overall list of the best 385 colleges, the Princeton Review says the colleges aren’t ranked in order from No. 1 to No. 385. Colleges are ranked on the more specific lists like “best campus food,” “best college newspaper” and “party schools.”

In all, there are 62 of these lists and each list includes a ranking of the top 20 colleges in that category.

The Georgia colleges on the overall best 385 schools list are:

• University of Georgia, Athens
  • No individual category rankings
• Emory University, Atlanta
  • Ranked 4th in Best College Dorms
  • Ranked 5th in Best Quality of Life
  • Ranked 9th in College City Gets High Marks
  • Ranked 11th in Their Students Love These Colleges
  • Ranked 12th in Happiest Students
  • Ranked 14th in Lots of Race/Class Interaction
  • Ranked 15th in Town-Gown Relations are Great
  • Ranked 16th in Best College Library
  • Ranked 16th in Best Run Colleges
  • Ranked 16th in Professors Get High Marks
  • Ranked 17th in Best College Newspaper
  • Ranked 19th in Best Science Lab Facilities
  • Ranked 20th in Lots of Greek Life
• Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
  • Ranked 7th in Best Health Services
  • Ranked 14th in Best Athletic Facilities
  • Ranked 18th in Best College Radio Station
• Spelman College, Atlanta
  • No individual category rankings
• Agnes Scott College, Decatur
  • Ranked 5th in LGBTQ-Friendly
  • Ranked 5th in Town-Gown Relations are Great
  • Ranked 6th in Nobody Plays Intramural Sports
  • Ranked 14th in Stone-Cold Sober Schools
  • Ranked 19th in Don't Inhale
  • Mercer University, Macon
  • Ranked 12th in Everyone Plays Intramural Sports
  • Ranked 20th in College City Gets Low Marks
  • Berry College, Mount Berry
  • Ranked 6th in Most Beautiful Campus
  • Ranked 8th in Future Rotarians and DAR
  • Ranked 12th in Most Religious Students
  • Ranked 14th in Most Engaged in Community Service
  • Ranked 17th in Stone-Cold Sober Schools
  • Ranked 18th in Town-Gown Relations are Great

Princeton Review says the colleges on the best 385 list are selected primarily based on the organization’s “high opinion of their academics.” Princeton Review closely analyzes more than 2,000 schools and collects feedback from students, educators, parents and advisors. The 62 specific lists that rank the top 20 schools in each category are compiled using a student survey.

Read the full Princeton Review methodology and see the schools ranked in each of the 62 lists.