Wofford makes Princeton Review’s ‘Best Value College’ list
February 7, 2012
Only S.C. private institution included in list of 75
SPARTANBURG, SC – February 7, 2012 – Wofford is one of the nation’s“Best Value” colleges and universities, according to The Princeton Review. TheMassachusetts-based education services company profiles Wofford in itsjust-published book, “The Best Value Colleges: 2012 Edition” (Random House /Princeton Review, Feb. 7, 2012).
The profilealso is available on a special area of the publication’s website at www.princetonreview.com/best-value-colleges.aspx (registration required).
“The BestValue Colleges: 2012 Edition,” subtitled “The 150 Best Buy Colleges and What ItTakes to Get In,” features profiles of 75 public and 75 private colleges withdetailed information about their campus culture, facilities and financial aidofferings. Of the 75 schools in each group, the top 10 colleges are ranked 1 to10, and the remaining 65 are listed in alphabetical order.
Wofford isthe only South Carolina institution included on the private collegeslist.
“It’s greatto be recognized for the value Wofford provides,” says Brand Stille, vicepresident for enrollment at Wofford. “Value, cost and return on investmentcontinue to be important factors in selecting a college. At Wofford we arecommitted to providing first rate programs and experiences that prepare ourstudents for lives of success and service.”
Woffordconsistently lands on “best value” lists of national publications. In the fallof 2011, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranked the college 39th in the nation andfirst in South Carolina in its 2011-2012 “best value” ratings of 100 top privateliberal arts colleges, those that “provide high-quality academics as well asaffordable cost even in these tough times.” Also in 2011, Forbes magazine rankedWofford 73rd on a list of 250 of “America’s Best Colleges” of all sizes andmissions, and U.S. News & World Report featured the college on its 2011 listof 40 “Great Schools, Great Prices” among national liberal artscolleges.
In itsprofile of Wofford, the editors of The Princeton Review notes the college offers“beauty, brains and brawn. Its stunning campus, which is designated as anarboretum, serves as an idyllic backdrop to an academic powerhouse with standoutprograms in biology, pre-med, and pre-law.” It also notes that Wofford “stronglyencourages its students to study abroad and offers support such as funding topay for students to travel and advice on how to design a program that works withtheir areas of study.”
The bookquotes Wofford students surveyed, who say the college “is about relationships:relationships between you and other students, between the professors and theirstudents, even the faculty and staff and the students; everyone knows each otherand is willing to help each other all the time.”
“We workand play as a community,” another student says, “and we, with pleasure andhumility, devote all of our energies to the pursuit ofknowledge.”
RobertFranek, PrincetonReview’s senior vice president and publisher, and lead author of “The Best ValueColleges: 2012 Edition,” says, “We commend Wofford and all of the extraordinarycolleges on our 2012 ‘Best Value Colleges’ list for all they are doing to keepcosts down and/or offer generous aid to applicants with financial need – allwhile maintaining excellent academic programs.”
The “BestValue Colleges” list and information about the schools also are posted on adedicated area of USA TODAY.com, which has been The Princeton Review’s onlinepublishing partner for this project since 2009. USA TODAY’s site (http://bestvaluecolleges.usatoday.com)features an exclusive database that allows users to view in-depth details aboutthe schools by clicking on an interactive map. Users can explore criteriaincluding cost of attendance and financial aid data, enrollment size, locationand The Princeton Review’s analysis of why it chose each school as a “BestValue.”
ThePrinceton Review selected its “Best Value Colleges” schools based oninstitutional data and student opinion surveys collected from 650 colleges anduniversities the company regards as the nation’s academically best undergraduateinstitutions. The selection process analyzed more than 30 data points broadlycovering academics, cost, and financial aid. Cost and financial aid data camefrom the company’s fall 2011 surveys of school administrators. Data on academicscame from its fall 2010 through fall 2011 surveys of school administrators. Datafrom students attending the schools over these years included their assessmentsof their professors and their satisfaction with their financial aid awards.
The companyis also known for its annual college rankings in 62 categories (http://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings.aspx)it reports in its book “The Best 376 Colleges” which is published inAugust, and its annual business and law school rankings in 11 categories (http://www.princetonreview.com/business-school-rankings.aspx)it reports in its graduate school guidebooks in October.
ThePrinceton Review debuted its “Best Value Colleges” list in 2004. It previouslypublished an annual book titled “America’s Best Value Colleges” from 2004 to2007.
ThePrinceton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com) is notaffiliated with Princeton University.
