UC Highlighted Among the Nation s Best Colleges

The University of Cincinnati is one of the country’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to the Princeton Review’s 2012 edition of its annual college guide, “The Best 376 Colleges.” UC was also among the 153 institutions that the Princeton Review recommended in its "Best in the Midwest" feature.

Only about 15 percent of the nation’s 2,500 four-year colleges are featured in the book, which is the Princeton Review’s flagship college guide.

UC student surveys in the 2012 Princeton Review praised UC as a large university with a small-town warmth, with “great programs and infinite opportunities.” UC is the world founder of cooperative education, and students praised the “cooperative education program that gives students a real edge in the job market.”

As for the student body, student surveys again commended UC for its diversity, mentioning that “there really isn’t a typical student.” They indicated that, “UC has students from all walks of life, which makes it extremely diverse and very interesting.” They also suggested that “many students work, so they seem to be more ‘grounded’ and well-rounded.”

Students also praised UC for building connections in and out of the classroom. “The University of Cincinnati is not only known for its great academics, but for all of the incredible opportunities students have, including cooperative education, on-campus activities and clubs, along with athletics and one of the most beautiful campuses in the world,” wrote one student.

Mentions of UC’s popular campus activities included UC’s Friday Night Live programming, which offers alcohol-free alternatives to the bar scene.

UC again scored strongly in quality of life, fire safety and green rating. The survey highlighted UC’s “great computer and athletics facilities.”

“It is especially gratifying to see students point out the aspects that we see as key UC differentiators from the rest of the nation – real-world experiences, great opportunities in and out of the classroom, the diversity of the student body, and, oh, yes, a spectacularly beautiful campus that has gained worldwide acclaim,” says Caroline Miller, senior associate vice president for Enrollment Management.

“We commend UC for its outstanding academics, which is the primary criteria for our selection of schools for the book,” says Robert Franek, Princeton Review’s senior vice president/publisher and author of “The Best 376 Colleges.”

Franek says, “Our choices are based on institutional data we collect about schools, our visits to schools over the years, feedback we gather from students attending the schools, and opinions of our staff and 28-member National College Counselor Advisory Board.”

The Princeton Review has posted the school profiles and ranking lists in “The Best 376 Colleges” at PrincetonReview.com.

“The Best 376 Colleges,” published by Random House/Princeton Review Books, costs $22.99.

UC Admissions website