ASU named one of the nation's best universities for undergrad education

Arizona State University is one of the nation's best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company features the school in the new 2015 edition of its annual college guide, "The Best 379 Colleges.”

Only about 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges, and only four colleges outside the U.S., are profiled in the book, which is The Princeton Review's flagship college guide.

“Arizona State University offers outstanding academics, which is the primary criteria for our choice of schools for the book,” said Robert Franek, Princeton Review's senior vice president and publisher and author of "The Best 379 Colleges."

“We base our selections primarily on data we obtain in our annual institutional data surveys. We also take into account input we get from our staff, our 35-member National College Counselor Advisory Board, our personal visits to schools and the wide range of feedback we get from our surveys of students attending these schools. It is their opinions that college applicants often value the most, particularly on (or in the absence of) campus visits.”

In its profile of ASU, The Princeton Review praises the university for its outstanding academics, the quality of life provided to its students and its vast internship opportunities.

Students say ASU’s “greatest strength is the great depth of its faculty and wealth of opportunities offered to students. ASU is home to engaging professors that are genuinely concerned with the success of their students.”

The strength of ASU’s faculty is appealing to other professors, as well. Over the past several years, the university has hired hundreds of new faculty members, selected from among the best scholars around the world.

Many students say they chose ASU because it “offers a huge range of classes and majors at a reasonable cost for in-state students.” Students also say the university provides “the best of both worlds: a large research university and an honors program tailored for individual needs.”

Students say that ASU stands out for providing “targeted education” that allows them to tailor their educational programs to achieve their career and life goals. They note that Barrett, the Honors College, and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication stand out as notable programs in this area.

Students also rave about the living environment at ASU, saying, “Campus life is amazing. There is always something to do, someone to hang out with or places to be.”

Many students praise ASU’s dedication to “pursuing new ways to become more sustainable and encouraging ‘going green’ throughout campus, classrooms and offices.”

This latest recognition by The Princeton Review is among several ASU has earned as one of the nation's, and the world's, top universities. Both the Center for World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities rank ASU 88th in the world and 48th in the U.S.

U.S. News & World Report also ranks ASU in the top tier of national universities: 142nd among more than 1,500 four-year colleges and universities, and 2nd on its list of schools that are making the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty and student life.

The Princeton Review is a Massachusetts-based education services company known for its test-prep courses, tutoring, books and other student resources. This year marks the 22nd edition of the Best Colleges guide.