5 Minnesota Colleges Named Among 384 Best By Princeton Review

MINNESOTA — The Princeton Review has named five colleges in Minnesota among the top 384 in America. Nearly all of those schools appear on various “Best Of” — and “Worst Of” — lists, and you might be surprised where some of our colleges land. The tutoring, test prep, and college admission services company surveyed 138,000 students at the schools and asked them to rate the institutions on dozens of topics.

Although the company did not rank the top 384 colleges — the list is in alphabetical order — it did rank them for numerous category lists, including best college theater, best science lab facilities, best party schools, most beautiful campus and even something as silly as “nobody plays intramural sports.”

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Here’s a breakdown of the best colleges in Minnesota as well as their rankings in the various categories:

• Minneapolis, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
  • Among Best 384 Colleges
  • 14, Best College Newspaper
  • 18, Best Health Services
• Northfield, Carleton College
  • Among Best 384 Colleges
  • 9, Students study the most
  • 12, Best College Radio Station
  • 13, Professors Get High Marks
  • 14, Most Accessible Professors
  • 15, Most Liberal Students
  • 19, Lots of Race/Class Interaction
• Northfield, St. Olaf College
  • Among Best 384 Colleges
  • 7, Best Campus Food
  • 12, Best Science Lab Facilities
  • 15, Most Popular Study Abroad Program
  • 15, Town-Gown Relations are Great
  • 19, Great Financial Aid
• St. Joseph, College of St. Benedict/Saint John's University
  • Among Best 384 Colleges
  • 10, Best Health Services
  • 20, Best Campus Food
• Saint Paul, Macalester College The Best 384 Colleges
  • Among Best 384 Colleges

Robert Franek, editor in chief at The Princeton Review and the book's lead author, said in a release that the 384 “best” colleges were primarily based on their “outstanding academics” and that the authors “highly recommend each one.” But Franek noted stellar academics aren’t the only things students — and parents — look for in a college.

“We created our 62 ranking lists to help narrow that search,” he said. “They are based entirely on data we gather beyond academics that give insight into what the schools' enrolled students say about their professors, administrators, school services, campus culture, and student life. In the end, it's all about the fit.”

Among the key findings: Bentley University had the most highly-rated career center and Vanderbilt University in Tennessee topped the "Great Financial Aid" list. Reed College in Oregon — where most class sections contain just two to nine students — ranked No. 1on the list, "Professors Get High Marks," based on how students rated their faculty specifically in their roles as teachers.

Here are the top performers in some of the other categories:

• "Most Accessible Professors" — United States Military Academy (New York)
• "Best College Dorms"— Washington University in St. Louis
• "Best Campus Food" — University of Massachusetts-Amherst
• "Best Health Services" — University of Wisconsin-Madison
• "Most Beautiful Campus"— Bucknell University (Pennsylvania)
• "Best Athletic Facilities" — The University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa
• "Happiest Students" — College of William & Mary (Virginia)
• "Most Politically Active Students" — American University (Washington D.C.)
• "LGBTQ-Friendly" — Emerson College (Massachussetts)
• "Party Schools" — University of Delaware
• Stone-Cold Sober Schools" — Brigham Young University (Utah)
• "Students Pack the Stadiums" — Syracuse University (New York)
• "College City Gets High Marks" — Tulane University (Louisiana)
• "Their Students Love These Colleges" — Clemson University (South Carolina)

The 84-question survey asks students about their school's academics, administration, student body and themselves. You can read more about the ranking methodology here.

Patch national reporter Dan Hampton contributed to this article.

Photo via Shutterstock / Johnny Habell