UCM Earns Spot on Princeton Review’s “Best of Midwest” List for 18th Year

WARRENSBURG, MO – Continuing annual recognition that the University of Central Missouri has received since the 2004 edition of The Princeton Review, UCM is included on the education services company’s “2022 Best Colleges: Region by Region” website. The results listing the “Best in the Midwest” colleges and universities were recently announced.

UCM is one of 158 best colleges and universities in the Midwest, and among 654 institutions of higher education that are recognized by The Princeton Review in five regions: the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, West, and International. The institutions that are listed among the “Best in the Midwest” are located in 12 Midwestern states. 

The Princeton Review lists these colleges and universities in alphabetical order, but they are not ranked. Information provided is helpful to students who are making important decisions about choosing a college or university that is the right fit for them. For those looking to advance their education, all institutions listed are considered by The Princeton Review’s editors as being “academically outstanding and well worth consideration in your college search.”

In its website profile about UCM, The Princeton Review states that “At the University of Central Missouri, a top-notch education comes with a very low price tag.” As one senior student put it, “With small class sizes, a tradition of excellence, and affordable tuition, UCM is an excellent choice for those who are looking for the most bang for their buck.”

Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief, stated, “We chose the University of Central Missouri and other outstanding institutions on this list primarily for their academics.” He added that the company considered data from its survey of administrators at several hundred colleges in each region, 
information from staff visits to schools over the years, and the opinions of college counselors and advisors whose perspectives the company solicits.

“We also consider what students enrolled at the schools reported to us on our student survey about their campus experiences,” Franek added.
The Princeton Review survey asks students to rate their colleges and universities on dozens of issues and to 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 website.

“We are pleased to be included on The Princeton Review’s list of the ‘Best in the Midwest’ colleges and universities for the 18th consecutive year,” said UCM President Roger Best. “The comments by students and The Princeton Review editors validate the quality of the UCM experience. This recognition is very much a reflection of the hard work of our faculty and staff and their commitment to serving students.”

Editors of The Princeton Review online feature commend UCM for its friendly faculty and staff, including professors “who know your name, are accessible outside the classroom, and want you to learn something of value in their classes.” They also note a continued focus on promoting multicultural diversity on campus, and a large number of international students. While much of the student population consists of students from rural areas, the editors add that “Typical UCM students are friendly, hard-working, warm-hearted people from surprisingly diverse backgrounds.”

The Princeton Review institutional profiles include ratings in six categories from “Academics” to “Green.” The ratings are scores from 60 to 99 that the company tallies primarily from institutional data though some ratings additionally factor in student survey data.

The 158 colleges and universities that The Princeton Review chose for its “Best in the Midwest” 2022 list are located in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Collectively, the 654 colleges and universities on the “regional best” lists for 2022 constitute about 24 percent of the nation’s 2,700 four-year institutions.

Headquartered in New York, N.Y., The Princeton Review is an education services company known for its tutoring, test-preparation, books, and other student resources. It is not affiliated with Princeton University.