The Princeton Review Names St. Lawrence University a Best Value College

CANTON, N.Y. - Feb. 3, 2016 - PRLog -- St. Lawrence University has been named one of the nation’s best colleges for students seeking a superb education with great career preparation at an affordable price, according to The Princeton Review.

In its recently published book, Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give You the Best Bang for Your Tuition Buck, The Princeton Review chose St. Lawrence based on Return on Investment (ROI) ratings it tallied for 650 schools last year. The ratings weighted 40 data points that covered everything from academics, cost and financial aid to graduation rates, student debt and alumni salaries and job satisfaction.

The book is an expansion of The Princeton Review’s annual Best Value Colleges, in which St. Lawrence has been included for more than a decade and has also been named a Great School for Mathematics Majors as well Best Northeastern College. In 2015, St. Lawrence debuted on two of The Princeton Review’s Top 20 lists for the first time, ranking seventh for Most Popular Study Abroad Programs and 20th in the Best Science Lab Facilities category.

A recent survey indicated that more than 97 percent of 2014 graduates were either employed or attending graduate school less than one year after graduation. Of those, 77 percent of said they found their job, including employment in their desired field, through alumni connections.

“The wide availability of institutional support we call Gift Aid results in overall low borrowing rates for our students that remain comparatively below the national average,” said Jeffrey Rickey, vice president and dean for Admissions and Financial Aid. “And yet, our students still get an exceptional liberal arts education with low student to faculty ratios, access to comprehensive internships and demanding research opportunities, and unparalleled study abroad programs.”

In the Colleges That Pay You Back profile of St. Lawrence, The Princeton Review editors praised the University for “very generous” financial aid and its “absolutely excellent Career Services Office,” which offers a “host of resources for students looking for jobs, internships or research opportunities.” One student described networking with St. Lawrence alumni as “huge” since they are “very helpful and are proud to lend a hand.”

“We highly recommend St. Lawrence University. They stand out not only for their outstanding academics but also for their affordability via comparatively low sticker prices and/or generous financial aid to students with need – or both,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s senior vice president and publisher. “Students have access to extraordinary career services programs from their freshman year on, plus a lifetime of alumni connections and post-grad support.”

The Princeton Review editors gathered data from the company’s surveys of administrators and students in 2014-15 and from PayScale.com’s surveys of school alumni conducted through April 2015.

About St. Lawrence University:
Founded in 1856, St. Lawrence University is a private, independent liberal arts institution of about 2,500 students located in Canton, New York. The educational opportunities at St. Lawrence inspire students and prepare them to be critical and creative thinkers, to find a compass for their lives and careers, and to pursue knowledge and understanding for the benefit of themselves, humanity and the planet. Through its focus on active engagement with ideas in and beyond the classroom, a St. Lawrence education leads students to make connections that transform lives and communities, from the local to the global. Visit www.stlawu.edu.