Rice ranks among nation’s top universities in Princeton Review’s ‘The Best 384 Colleges’

For the fourth year in a row, Rice University ranks No. 1 in the nation for the best race/class interaction, according to student surveys for the Princeton Review’s 2019 edition of “The Best 384 Colleges.”

Rice is ranked in the top 20 in 13 categories, the most ever for the university. Rice is ranked No. 2 for best quality of life, No. 3 for best college newspaper and No. 5 for happiest students.

For the 27th edition, the Princeton Review surveyed 138,000 students from across the country, providing the basis for its 62 lists. The other nine categories Rice ranked in the top 20 are:

• 6, best health services
• 7, best-run colleges
• 10, best college dorms
• 11, most beautiful campus
• 11, great financial aid
• 12, colleges that pay you back without aid
• 17, colleges that pay you back
• 18, LGBTQ friendly
• 18, best campus food

“These rankings are gratifying because they are based on the actual views of our students as reflected in surveys,” Rice President David Leebron said. “We pride ourselves on being a diverse and inclusive community, and are once again proud to rank No. 1 for race and class interaction and to be among the top 20 schools most welcoming to LGBTQ students. It means a lot to us that students from different social and economic backgrounds can come together at Rice and feel they belong. The key to this is our generous financial aid policies. Although our tuition is thousands of dollars less than most of our peers, our students experience an unusually supportive environment and outstanding education that results in extraordinary opportunity. It is rewarding for our faculty and staff to see that the students appreciate all that they do.”

The Princeton Review’s 2019 edition said students are attracted to Rice’s location, in the “unique and vibrant city of Houston.” The “innovative residential college system is truly special because of its ability to supply students with an immediate family after stepping foot onto campus.”

“Rice University offers a top-notch level of prestige that, when combined with a similar level of support provided by the university and the support of the residential college system, makes for an ideal environment.

“In addition to being a premier research university, Rice is an amazing place for students because of how much professors care about teaching undergraduates. Professors, who are easily accessible outside the classroom and experts in their specific fields, introduce students to a number of perspectives and push [students] to think [more deeply] about [the] world.”

For more information on the rankings, visit https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/best-colleges.