10 CT Colleges Named Among 384 Best By Princeton Review

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The Princeton Review rankings are based on surveys of 138,000 students at the schools.

The Princeton Review has named 10 colleges in Connecticut among the top 384 in America. Nearly all of those schools appear on various “Best Of” — and “Worst Of” — lists, and you might be surprised where some of our colleges land. The tutoring, test prep, and college admission services company surveyed 138,000 students at the schools and asked them to rate the institutions on dozens of topics.

Although the company did not rank the top 384 colleges — the list is in alphabetical order — it did rank them for numerous category lists, including best college theater, best science lab facilities, best party schools, most beautiful campus and even something as silly as “nobody plays intramural sports.”

Here’s a breakdown of the best colleges in Connecticut as well as their rankings in the various categories:

  • Fairfield University, Fairfield

    • Ranked 9th in Best Quality of Life

    • Ranked 13th in Happiest Students

  • Sacred Heart University, Fairfield

    • Ranked 12th in Election? What Election?

    • Ranked 17th in Happiest Students

    • Ranked 19th in Most Engaged in Community Service

  • Quinnipiac University, Hamden

    • Ranked 3rd in Little Race/Class Interaction

    • Ranked 9th in Town-Gown Relations are Strained

  • Trinity College, Hartford

    • Ranked 12th in Town-Gown Relations are Strained

  • Wesleyan University, Middletown

    • Ranked 1st in Least Religious Students

    • Ranked 4th in Reefer Madness

    • Ranked 7th in Tree-Hugging Vegetarians

    • Ranked 10th in Town-Gown Relations are Strained

    • Ranked 11th in Nobody Plays Intramural Sports

    • Ranked 14th in Best College Theater

    • Ranked 20th in Most Liberal Students

  • Yale University, New Haven

    • Ranked 7th in Great Financial Aid

  • Connecticut College, New London

    • Ranked 3rd in Lots of Hard Liquor

  • United States Coast Guard Academy, New London

    • Ranked 3rd in Don't Inhale

    • Ranked 7th in Lots of Race/Class Interaction

    • Ranked 8th in Least Happy Students

    • Ranked 9th in College City Gets Low Marks

    • Ranked 12th in Stone-Cold Sober Schools

    • Ranked 17th in Students Study the Most

  • University of Connecticut, Storrs

    • Ranked 4th in Professors Get Low Marks

    • Ranked 8th in Students Pack the Stadiums

  • University of New Haven, West Haven

Robert Franek, editor in chief at The Princeton Review and the book's lead author, said in a release that the 384 “best” colleges were primarily based on their “outstanding academics” and that the authors “highly recommend each one.” But Franek noted stellar academics aren’t the only things students — and parents — look for in a college.

“We created our 62 ranking lists to help narrow that search,” he said. “They are based entirely on data we gather beyond academics that give insight into what the schools' enrolled students say about their professors, administrators, school services, campus culture, and student life. In the end, it's all about the fit.”

Among the key findings: Bentley University had the most highly-rated career center and Vanderbilt University in Tennessee topped the "Great Financial Aid" list. Reed College in Oregon — where most class sections contain just two to nine students — ranked No. 1on the list, "Professors Get High Marks," based on how students rated their faculty specifically in their roles as teachers.

Here are the top performers in some of the other categories:

  • "Most Accessible Professors" — United States Military Academy (New York)

  • "Best College Dorms"— Washington University in St. Louis

  • "Best Campus Food" — University of Massachusetts-Amherst

  • "Best Health Services" — University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • "Most Beautiful Campus"— Bucknell University (Pennsylvania)

  • "Best Athletic Facilities" — The University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa

  • "Happiest Students" — College of William & Mary (Virginia)

  • "Most Politically Active Students" — American University (Washington D.C.)

  • "LGBTQ-Friendly" — Emerson College (Massachussetts)

  • "Party Schools" — University of Delaware

  • Stone-Cold Sober Schools" — Brigham Young University (Utah)

  • "Students Pack the Stadiums" — Syracuse University (New York)

  • "College City Gets High Marks" — Tulane University (Louisiana)

  • "Their Students Love These Colleges" — Clemson University (South Carolina)

The 84-question survey asks students about their school's academics, administration, student body and themselves. You can read more about the ranking methodology here.

Patch national reporter Dan Hampton contributed to this article.

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