Westminster Makes The Princeton Review’s Guide: “Best 371 Colleges” in Nation for 2010

College ranks 12th in the nation for “best quality of life”

Contact: Krista DeAngelis (801) 832-2682
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 28, 2009

SALT LAKE CITY – The Princeton Review has once again included Westminster College in its annual guide of “The 371 Best Colleges” for 2010, and has also ranked it 12th in the nation for “best quality of life—” compared to last year’s ranking of 18th.

This prestigious national ranking puts Westminster among only 15% of four-year colleges in America that are deemed to have the best undergraduate academics by the Princeton Review.

In its profile on Westminster, the Princeton Review quotes extensively from Westminster students who boast the college’s “small class sizes,” “personal attention,” and “beautiful campus.” And while the pre-professional programs like nursing, education and business are listed as “strong,” the campus is described as having some of the “coolest” programs around. Some of the unique programs include courses on “Chemistry and Biology of Brewing” and the nationally acclaimed Winter at Westminster program that offers backcountry touring, bobsledding and Nordic jumping clinics and yurt camping while studying full time at the school.

Some additional highlights listed in the profile include Westminster’s “easily accessible” faculty who are “fun and interactive,” and many students noted the administrators as “genuinely interested in how the students are doing and making sure the problems are solved as quickly as possible.”

Westminster President Michael Bassis remarked, “We are very pleased be recognized as one of the top colleges by the Princeton Review, as well as being highlighted for our quality of life. We believe in providing a supportive yet challenging educational environment for our students, while also offering them a variety of extracurricular opportunities.”

“The Best 371 Colleges”:
Only about 15% of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges and two Canadian colleges are included in the newly published guide. The book contains two-page profiles of the schools and student survey-based ranking lists of top 20 colleges in more than 60 categories. The ranking lists in "The Best 371 Colleges" are based on The Princeton Review's survey of 120,000 students (about 325 per campus on average) attending the 371 colleges in the book. A college's appearance on these lists is attributable to a high consensus among its surveyed students about the subject. The 80-question survey asked students to rate their schools on several topics and report on their campus experiences at them.

The Princeton Review guide "Best 371 Colleges" (Random House / Princeton Review, $21.95), will go on sale tomorrow. The book's complete ranking lists will also be posted on their website at www.PrincetonReview.com.

Westminster College:
Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster is distinguished by its unique environment for learning. Westminster prepares students for success through active and engaged learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. Westminster’s unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake, further enriches the college experience. For more information visit www.westminstercollege.edu.