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Seattle University Featured in the Princeton Review’s the Best 382 Colleges

July 31, 2017

Seattle University Reflection Pool at the Chapel of St. Ignatius

Students cite strong academics, Jesuit mission and vibrant urban location

Seattle University is one of the nation’s top institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review, which once again features the university in its Best 382 Colleges 2018 edition.

Seattle University’s profile can be found here.  In the print version of the guide, students comment about academics, student life and the student body.  Students cited the university’s highly regarded academic offerings and Jesuit philosophy. Students also gave high marks to the value of Seattle U’s required Core classes and “dynamic professors who ensure that students have a chance not only to digest and memorize the information but also to critically think about it and discuss different viewpoints.” Comments also spoke to this university’s commitment to social justice issues being “more than just rhetoric.”

Overall students feel that Seattle U “is about finding community in a large city and being able to discuss and have deep meaningful conversations about the issues we encounter in our everyday lives.” They also report that peers are “creative, insightful and dedicated to making their educational experience unique and personal. Community is strongly felt amongst students and staff.”

Students also noted Seattle U’s urban location, the importance of sustainability and the high quality of campus food offerings. 

Only about 15% of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges and two colleges outside the U.S. are profiled in the book, which is one of The Princeton Review's most popular guides. Published annually since 1992, it has detailed profiles of the colleges with rating scores in eight categories.  All of the ranking lists are based on The Princeton Review's surveys of students attending the colleges.

The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges from 1 to 382 in any category. Instead it uses students' ratings of their schools to compile 62 ranking lists of top 20 colleges in various categories. The lists in this edition are entirely based on The Princeton Review's survey of 137,000 students (358 per campus on average) attending the colleges. The 80-question survey asks students to rate their schools on several topics and report on their campus experiences at them. Topics range from their assessments of their professors as teachers to opinions about their school's career services.  More details about its methodology can be found here.