The Princeton Review, a leading provider of tutoring, test prep and college admissions services in the country, again this year listed University of the Pacific as one of the top universities in the country.
The recognition means Pacific will be included in the 2018 edition of The Princeton Review's "The Best 382 Colleges," a guide used by college applicants and their parents in selecting the best possible higher education experience for each student.
"We're so very proud that we've been included in this resource for prospective college students," said Pamela A. Eibeck, Pacific's president. "It gives students and their parents an idea of what kind of experience they're in store for when they come to Pacific. It's also especially gratifying that the hard work of our faculty, students and staff are acknowledged in this way."
Only about 15 percent of the nation's 2,500 and two colleges from outside the United States are profiled in the guide that has been published since 1992. Pacific was one of 31 California colleges on the list that includes UC Berkeley, Stanford University, UCLA, USC, Mills College, Pepperdine University, UC Davis and California Institute of Technology.
"We chose University of the Pacific for this book because it offers outstanding academics," said Robert Franek, Princeton Review's editor-in-chief and author of "The Best 382 Colleges." "Our selections are primarily based on our surveys of administrators at several hundred four-year colleges. We also visit dozens of colleges each year and give considerable weight to opinions of our staff and our 24-member National College Counselor Advisory Board. Most importantly, we look at valuable feedback we get from each school's customers - our surveys of students attending them. We also keep a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character."
Pacific was also listed on the 26th annual guide's "Best Western" and "Green Colleges" lists.
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 the book 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.
Pacific's profile in the guide highlights educational diversity and strong academic programs, and different opportunities to suit anyone. It also mentions accelerated programs in dentistry, law and pharmacy as a "big hit," as well as the School of Engineering and Computer Science co-op program and Speech-Language Pathology Program.
One Gladys L. Benerd School of Education student told The Princeton Review, "The Elementary Education program appealed to me because I would get my teaching credential and degree in four years, rather than five or six."
Other students surveyed mentioned as pluses the small class sizes and faculty who are challenging, motivating, involved and helpful. The profile also quotes students as saying, "There is always someone around who can help you and plenty of tutors" and "There are so many resources in place to help students succeed, that it's practically impossible not to do well."
The schools in "The Best 382 Colleges" also have rating scores in eight categories - academics, admissions selectivity, financial aid, fire safety, quality of life, green (the school's commitment to the sustainability and the environment in its policies, practices and education programs), interesting professors, and accessible professors. The Princeton Review tallied them based on institutional data it collected during the 2016-17 academic year and/or its student survey for the book. Rating scores are on a scale of 60 to 99.
To learn more about the 2018 edition of "The Best 382 Colleges," visit princetonreview.com/best382.