BOONE—Appalachian State University is one of the best colleges in the Southeast according to The Princeton Review. The education services company lists Appalachian among its “Best in the Southeast” recommended schools in its “2016 Best Colleges: Region by Region” website feature at http://www.princetonreview.com/bestSEcolleges. Only 140 colleges in 12 Southeastern states made the list for 2016.

The university was also included in a list of 353 “Green Colleges.”

In its website profile on Appalachian, The Princeton Review said the university had “a strong sense of community and a challenging academic environment” grounded in “a broad liberal arts education.”

“We chose Appalachian and the other outstanding institutions on this list primarily for their excellent academics,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s senior vice president-publisher. The Princeton Review editors made their selections based on data the company collected from its survey of administrators at several hundred colleges in each region, as well as its staff visits to schools over the years, and the perspectives of college counselors and advisors whose opinions the company solicits.

“We also gave careful consideration to what students enrolled at the schools reported to us about their campus experiences on our student survey for this project,” Franek added. “We designed our 80-question survey to include questions that prospective applicants might ask on a campus visit. Only schools that permit us independently to survey their students are eligible to be considered for our regional ‘best’ lists, and only schools at which we see a strong level of satisfaction among their enrolled students make it to our final slate of regional ‘best’ college selections.”

The Princeton Review survey asks students to rate their colleges on several issues –from the accessibility of their professors to the quality of their science lab facilities – and answer questions about themselves, their fellow students, and their campus life. Comments from surveyed students are quoted in the school profiles on The Princeton Review site. Students commented that, “Professors get to know each student by name and really strive to make connections [to] everyone in their classes. They embrace all sorts of teaching styles, but are always open to helping students outside of class.”

The 140 colleges that The Princeton Review chose for its “Best in the Southeast” 2016 list are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

The Princeton Review is an education services company known for its tutoring, test-prep courses, books and other student resources. The company is not affiliated with Princeton University.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.