Stanislaus State Makes The Princeton Review’s Best Colleges List for 18th Consecutive Year

Stanislaus State has earned a spot on The Princeton Review’s list of “Best 389 Colleges” for 2024, which was published on The Princeton Review’s website Tuesday, Aug. 15. 

This is the 18th consecutive year the University has been included on the Review’s national list of best colleges, which is not ranked but includes only the best 389 schools listed in alphabetical order. 

The Review also recognized Stan State as one of the top 79 colleges in the West along with seven other California State University campuses.  

According to the Review’s explanation of methodology, the overall list and other rankings are based entirely on feedback from students attending the schools. It states that 165,000 students at all 389 colleges were surveyed. The students reviewed a variety of areas including academics, administration, campus life and financial aid. 

“We created our rankings to provide a resource for college applicants that helps them answer what may well be the toughest question in their college search — ‘What’s the best school for me?’” said Rob Franek, editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review and lead author of “The Best 389 Colleges” guidebook. “Our selection of colleges for this book reflects our high opinion of the schools: we recommend each one as academically outstanding. Our ranking lists reflect the opinions of the school’s students — their customers — and their reports to us about their campus experiences.”  

The Princeton Review’s 85-question survey is available to students year-round online. By collecting feedback electronically with a sign-on, the organization gathers an average of 424 surveys per school while reducing the potential for students to review a school more than once. 

The report on Stan State praises the University for providing a quality, affordable education focused on helping scholars prepare for their careers. It calls Stan State “an uncut gem” that is inclusive, welcoming and supportive. It notes that faculty and staff are passionate, professional and understanding and states that the “good” student-to-teacher ratio results in faculty being very accessible. 

The report says undergraduate students said they love the “beautiful and peaceful campus” which “helps students to feel less stressed.” Many find “the college serves as a hub to bring students together,” citing a wide variety of clubs and organizations that offer something for everyone to feel included. 

The Princeton Review recognition is only one of the University’s recent commendations for its academic programs and student success outcomes.   

In July, finance publication MONEY released its 2023 college ratings and once again named Stanislaus State among the “Best Colleges in America.”  Using a new star rating system that replaces its traditional numerical ranking, MONEY gave Stanislaus State 4.5 out of 5 stars, which places the University among the top third of the 736 four-year public and private colleges from across the nation that made the cut.    

In May, three graduate programs at Stanislaus State were ranked among the best in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The University’s Master of Social Work program ranked No. 163 among the best schools for advanced studies in social work and the Master of Business Administration program ranked No. 203 for graduate business programs that help students balance professional and school responsibilities. Both were ranked out of nearly 300 programs that qualified. Stan State’s Master of Public Administration ranked No. 219 on the list for Best Public Affairs Programs.