Wooster One of 200 “Best Value Colleges for 2020,” According to The Princeton Review

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster has been named a “Best Value College for 2020,” and it ranked No. 18 for “Best Schools for Internships,” by The Princeton Review, which utilizes a comprehensive data analysis to produce a list of the nation’s top 200 schools for students seeking a superb education and great career preparation at an affordable price. The education services company announced its 200 “Best Value Colleges” on its website Tuesday, with feature profiles on each one.

“The schools we name as our ‘Best Value Colleges for 2020’ comprise only 7% of the nation’s four-year colleges,” noted Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief. “They are truly distinctive and diverse in their programs, size, region, and type, yet they are similar in three areas. Every school we selected offers outstanding academics, generous financial aid and/or a relative low cost of attendance, and stellar career services. We salute Wooster for these exceptional offerings and recommend it highly to college applicants and parents.”

The Princeton Review combined more than 40 data points to tally an ROI (return on investment) rating for each of the 656 institutions that the company considered and surveyed for this year’s project. Topics ranged from academics, cost, and financial aid to graduation rates, student debt, alumni salaries, and job satisfaction.

Student comments (from those who were surveyed) were included on the website, and Wooster was commended for its ability to “shape, direct, and achieve (their academic) goals (all) while being supported by a community of peers, professors and mentors” and to uncover their “passions.” Also, Wooster’s professors were described as “incredibly knowledgeable” and “engaging” as well as “entirely committed to giving each student the opportunity to succeed,” and students highlighted how “affordable” their school is and the “generous scholarships.”

In reference to Wooster’s top-25 ranking in “Best Schools for Internships,” The Princeton Review noted its “outstanding” career services truly helps students prepare for their post graduate life, a nod to APEX, the school’s center for Advising, Planning, and Experiential Learning.

Wooster is one of eight Ohio-based schools included among the “Best Value Colleges for 2020,” with the others being Case Western Reserve University, the University of Dayton, Denison University, Kenyon College, Miami University, Ohio State University, and Ohio Wesleyan University.

The Princeton Review, not affiliated with Princeton University, is well regarded for its college rankings in many of its projects, one being the annual book, “The Best 385 Colleges,” of which Wooster is regularly included.

More information on the “Best Value Colleges for 2020” and The Princeton Review’s methodology, which includes data from alumni surveys conducted by PayScale.com, is accessible for free at https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/best-value-colleges/methodology.

Posted in News on February 5, 2020.