Project also announced the ranking list, “Top 75 Best Value Colleges,” based on ROI ratings
The Princeton Review reported its list of the 200 Best Value Colleges for 2020. The project annually reports (names) the undergraduate institutions, which the education services company recommends as offering the best ROI (Return on Investment). The Princeton Review staff crunched more than 40 data points to select the schools for the list and tally the project’s seven categories of ranking lists (highlights follow).
The company selected the 200 schools based on its surveys of administrators at 656 colleges in 2018–19. Survey topics covered academics, graduation rates, cost, financial aid, career services, student debt, and alumni support. The Princeton Review also factored in data from its surveys of students attending the colleges, as well as PayScale.com surveys of alumni of the schools about their starting and mid-career salaries and job satisfaction.
The chosen schools are the Best Value Colleges for 2020 comprise only 7% of the United States’ four-year colleges.
“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 relatively low cost of attendance, and stellar career services. We recommend them highly to college applicants and parents seeking schools that are academically top-notch and committed to making their programs affordable. These colleges are also standouts at guiding their students to rewarding futures,” noted Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief.
Ranking Highlights
On the project’s main ranking list, “Top 75 Best Value Colleges,” which is based solely on ROI ratings tallied by The Princeton Review, Princeton University (NJ) earned the #1 spot. For admitted students that qualify for financial aid, the University meets 100% of each student’s need with scholarship grants—not loans.
Last year, the average scholarship grant Princeton University awarded to undergrads with need was $51,365.
Six Fascinating Facts About The Princeton Review’s Best Value Colleges for 2020:
Among the 200 colleges (137 private and 63 public):
- The average grant to students with need is $29,748.
- The median starting salary of graduates is $60,824.
- The mid-career salary of graduates is $117,583.
Among the 63 public colleges:
- The average net cost of attendance (sticker price minus average grant) for in-state students receiving need-based aid is $12,944.
- The average admission rate is 53%.
- 14 of the colleges admit over 70% of their applicants.
Also, Read The Princeton Review’s College Admission 101 Videos Guide
