Who made Princeton Review’s Best 388 Colleges list?

Nine higher education institutions in the Garden State earned spots on The Princeton Review’s Best 388 Colleges for 2023 list.  

The overall list of 388 universities was posted alphabetically, and the New Jersey schools that made the cut (followed by each school’s full-time enrollment numbers) are: 

• The College of New Jersey, Ewing (6,959) 
• Drew University, Madison (1,636)
• Monmouth University, West Long Branch (4,080)
• New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark (9,183)
• Princeton University, Princeton (5,321)
• Rider University, Lawrenceville (3,232)
• Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Piscataway (36,152)
• Seton Hall University, South Orange (6,068)
• Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken (4,064)

Additionally, the publication broke down the list to name the top 25 colleges in 50 categories, such as academics, amenities, school services, campus culture and extracurricular activities. These categories unveiled both positive and negative aspects, such as schools whose professors were accessible and those who were not. 

To compile that list, The Princeton Review — which is not associated with Princeton University — surveyed 160,000 students at the 388 universities and colleges to find out how the schools fared in those categories. 

The Princeton Review also is releasing the 2023 edition of the for-purchase book Aug. 23.

“Since 1992, when we debuted our multiple ranking lists as an alternative to a single academics-only mega list, our mission has been to give students a more useful resource to find the best college for them,” Princeton Review Editor-in-Chief Rob Franek, and lead author of the Best 388 Colleges list, said in a statement.  

“Our selection of the colleges in this book is based on our opinion of their academic offerings. We recommend each one as an academically outstanding choice for an applicant. Our ranking lists, however, are not based on our opinions of the colleges. They’re entirely based on what the schools’ own students have told us about their experiences at them.”  

This year, The Princeton Review dropped lists such as “Party Schools” and its inverse list, “Stone-Cold Sober Schools.” The Review said it adds and drops lists “as campus cultures have evolved, college applicant interests have changed, and The Princeton Review’s survey and data collection process has been refined.” 

The New Jersey schools that ranked within these 50 categories are: 

• Financial Aid Not So Great
  No. 3: The College of New Jersey 
• Professors Not So Accessible
  No. 9: New Jersey Institute of Technology 
• Professors Get Low Marks
  No. 4: Stevens Institute of Technology
  No. 12: New Jersey Institute of Technology 
• Students Study the Most
  No. 18: Princeton University 
• Little Race/Class Interaction
  No. 11: Stevens Institute of Technology
  No. 13: Monmouth University 
• Lots of Race/Class Interaction
  No. 21: Drew University 
• Best College Radio Station
  No. 11: Seton Hall University
  No. 21: Princeton University 
• Best College Theater
  No. 10: Drew University 
• Least Politically Active Students
  No. 21: New Jersey Institute of Technology 
• Most Liberal Students
  No. 21: Princeton University 
• College Dorms Not So Fancy
  No. 9: Stevens Institute of Technology
  No. 10: Rider University 
• Pot’s Not Hot
  No. 8: Princeton University 
• Cancel the Keg (how widely beer is used at the schools)
  No. 16: Princeton University 
• Scotch and Soda, Hold the Scotch (concerning the use of hard liquor at the schools)
  No. 14: Princeton University 
• College City Gets High Marks
  No. 10: Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken)