Princeton Review names Rowan one of best colleges in northeast

August 21, 2007

Rowan University has been named one of the top colleges in the northeast by the Princeton Review in its 2008 edition of "Best Northeastern Colleges."

The book includes 222 colleges and universities in the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Schools are chosen by the Princeton Review (www.princetonreview.com) for "Best Northeastern Colleges" based on institutional data, surveys of students, and campus visits. The book does not rank the schools.

In recognizing the University, the Princeton Review cited its talented and dedicated faculty, its extensive lab and computer facilities, and Rowan's "small-school feeling at a university level."

The Princeton Review is a New York-based company known for its test preparation, education and college admission services.

The inclusion of Rowan in "Best Northeastern Colleges" comes on the heels of the University's recent ranking as a top college in its region by U.S. News & World Report.

In "America's Best Colleges," the annual compilation of the nation's top colleges and universities published by U.S. News, Rowan is ranked 28th (tied) in the first tier of the North Region-Master's category. The category includes universities that provide comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs. Last year, Rowan was tied for 29th.

Additionally, the University is listed fourth among the top public universities in the North Region-Master's category by U.S. News.

The rankings can be found at http://www.usnews.com/.

In addition to the University's overall ranking, Rowan's College of Engineering also is ranked nationally by U.S. News. The college is ranked 16th (tied) among the nation's best undergraduate engineering programs whose highest degree is a bachelor's or master's degree. In that category, the college's chemical engineering program is ranked second among specializations.

The College of Engineering, which graduated its first class just seven years ago, was ranked 20th (tied) last year, while the chemical engineering program was ranked third.

According to U.S. News, rankings are based on measures of quality that include peer assessment from top academic officers, such as university presidents, provosts and deans of admission; graduation and retention rates; faculty resources; student selectivity; financial resources; and alumni giving. Peer assessments and graduation and retention rates account for 50 percent of the overall rating, according to U.S. News.

The engineering rankings are based solely on a peer survey of deans and senior faculty, according to U.S. News.

In recent years, Rowan has been recognized by other national organizations that evaluate colleges. Kaplan included the university in "The Unofficial, Unbiased Insider's Guide to the 320 Most Interesting Colleges." Earlier this year, the University was named among the 100 best values in public higher education by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.

In its seven colleges, Rowan offers 57 majors, 29 minors and 20 concentrations. The University's Graduate School offers 28 graduate programs.