Princeton Review Names Kent State One of the Best Midwestern Colleges

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For the fifth consecutive year, Kent State University was named one of the best universities to attend in the Midwest, gaining inclusion into The Princeton Review’s 2007 guide to “The Best Midwestern Colleges.”

Washington Monthly Names Kent State One of Nation's Best Universities

In its second annual college rankings, Washington Monthly magazine has ranked Kent State University 56th among the 245 national public and private universities. The magazine's three main criteria used to rank the institutions were community service, research and social mobility. According to the magazine, the survey, which appears in the September 2006 edition, looks at what colleges are doing for the nation by evaluating whether colleges are making good use of tax dollars, producing graduates who can keep the nation competitive and doing well by doing good. Massachusetts Institute of Technology was the top-ranked national university for the second consecutive year. Other Ohio public universities also ranked include Ohio State (27), Ohio (40), Miami (102), Bowling Green (146), Toledo (171), Akron (179) and Cleveland State (215). Check out the complete Washington Monthly college rankings for more information, as well as articles and explanation of methodology.

Kent State is one of 163 universities in 11 Midwestern states ranked by The Princeton Review, a nationally-renown New York City-based company mostly recognized for its student test preparation and admissions services.

“Once again, Kent State’s commitment to quality and academic excellence has been reaffirmed,” says Charles Rickard, associate vice president of enrollment management. “Our efforts to strengthen the university’s brand are evident in this wonderful recognition.”

This year’s “Best in the Midwest” ranking was formulated through a combination of academic assessment and feedback received from anonymous student surveys. A 70-question survey was administered to undergraduate students by e-mail asking them to candidly rate Kent State on several topics including: academics/administration, life at school, their fellow students and themselves. The majority of survey questions were multiple choice, while others offered students the opportunity to respond in a narrative fashion.

“We believe these schools uphold the standards of our Best Midwestern College distinction and provide students with a wide breadth of excellent schools to consider,” says Robert Franek, publisher and editorial director.

The Princeton Review mandated that each of the “Best of” regions contain a wide variety of colleges ranging from liberal to conservative, expensive to inexpensive and traditional to nontraditional.