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6 Florida Colleges Make The Grade

By LINDSAY PETERSON

lpeterson@tampatrib.com

Published: January 10, 2009

Six Florida colleges and universities are on the Princeton Review's list of the top 100 higher education values for 2009, with two near the top.

New College of Florida in Sarasota is No. 2 on the list of public institutions; Florida State University is No. 5.

The University of South Florida, the University of Central Florida and the University of North Florida are listed among the top 50 public colleges and universities, though not in any ranking. Only the top 10 are ranked.
Rollins College in Winter Park is listed among the top 50 private institutions.

The Princeton Review is a test preparation company that also offers advice on college admissions. Its lists are based on surveys of administrators and students on more than 650 campuses.

The criteria included more than 30 factors in three areas: academics, costs and financial aid. Academic ratings were based on student responses to questions about class size, the accessibility of professors and other educational matters. Other factors considered were student-faculty ratios and the percentage of classes taught by teaching assistants.

PRINCETON REVIEW'S EDUCATIONAL VALUES

The other schools in the top 10 of public colleges and universities:

1. University of Virginia, Charlottesville

3. College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Va.

4. State University of New York, Binghamton

6. North Carolina State University, Raleigh.

7. University of California, San Diego

8. City University of New York, Hunter College, New York

9. University of Georgia, Athens

10. The College of New Jersey, Ewing

For information and a complete listing, go to www.princetonreview.com

Reporter Lindsay Peterson can be reached at (813) 259-7834.