Lawrence University has been named one of the nation’s best colleges for students seeking a superb education with great career preparation and at an affordable price by The Princeton Review.
Lawrence was profiled in the education services company’s just-published 2018 edition of its annual guide “Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give You the Best Bang for Your Tuition Buck.” The guide lists colleges alphabetically, not ranked 1-to-200.
This is the fourth year in a row Lawrence has been included in the “Colleges That Pay You Back” guide.
“I love that Lawrence has been included in this book yet again,” said Ken Anselment, dean of admisssions and financial aid, “because it underscores the lifetime of benefits that a Lawrence education provides.”
Schools chosen for the guide are based on data collected in 2016-17 from surveys of administrators at more than 650 colleges. The Princeton Review also factored in data from its surveys of students attending the schools and surveys of school alumni that PayScale.com conducted through April 2017. In all, The Princeton Review used more than 40 data points to tally return on investment (ROI) ratings of the colleges that determined its selection of the 200 schools for the book. Topics covered everything from academics, cost, and financial aid to graduation rates, student debt, alumni salaries, and job satisfaction.
In its profile, The Princeton Review editors praised Lawrence for its “stunning 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio” and “surprisingly large number of international students.” Lawrence students surveyed by the company described Lawrence as a place where “even the smallest idea is considered on a grand scale” and professors “treat us more like academic peers.”
In the career information” section of its profile, the guide gives Lawrence an exceptional ROI rating score of 89. It also cites PayScale.com figures reporting Lawrence graduates with at least a bachelor’s degree have a median starting salary of $48,900 and a median mid-career salary of $100,300.
Among the guide’s lists of special categories, Lawrence was ranked seventh out of 25 selected based on student ratings and responses to survey questions covering community service opportunities at their school, student government, sustainability efforts, and on-campus student engagement as well as the percentage of alumni from each school that reported having high job meaning.
“We salute Lawrence University and all of our Colleges That Pay You Back schools. They stand out for their outstanding academics and their affordability via generous financial aid to students with need and/or comparatively low sticker prices,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief and lead author of the book. “Students at these colleges also have access to extraordinary career services from their freshman year on, plus a lifetime of valuable alumni support.”
Lawrence was previously included in Kiplinger’s list of “300 Best College Values for 2018.”
About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.
