The Princeton Review Gives 703 Colleges Green Ratings in New 2011 Editions of its Annual College Guides and Website Profiles of Schools

NEW YORK, Aug. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Princeton Review – known for its education services helping students choose and get in to colleges – today reported its third annual Green Ratings of colleges: a measure of how environmentally friendly the institutions are on a scale of 60 to 99.  The Company tallied the rating for 703 institutions based on its institutional surveys of colleges in 2009-10 concerning their environmentally related practices, policies and academic offerings.

The Green Rating scores appear in the profiles of the 703 schools that The Princeton Review today posted on www.PrincetonReview.com. They are also in the profiles of those schools in the new 2011 editions of three Princeton Review guidebooks:  "The Best 373 Colleges" ($22.99) and "Complete Book of Colleges" ($26.99) – both on sale August 3, and "The Best Northeastern Colleges" ($16.99) – on sale August 10, all published by Random House.

The Princeton Review's "2011 Green Rating Honor Roll"

The Princeton Review also today named 18 colleges to its "2011 Green Rating Honor Roll" – a list of colleges that received the highest possible score (99) in its Green Rating tallies this year.  Published in "The Best 373 Colleges" guidebook, the list includes:

Said Robert Franek, Princeton Review Senior VP / Publisher, "We commend the administrators, faculty and students at the schools on our Green Rating Honor Roll for their exemplary commitments to the environment.  Also, we thank the 703 institutions that supplied us with data we requested to tally their Green Rating scores this year.  We are pleased to play a role in helping students identify, apply to, and get into these schools."

Franek noted the rising interest among students in attending green colleges.  Among 12,000 college applicants and parents of applicants The Princeton Review surveyed this year for its annual "College Hopes & Worries Survey," 64% of respondents said they would value having information about a college's commitment to the environment.  Within that cohort, 23% said such information would "very much" impact their decision to apply to or attend a school.

Criteria for Princeton Review's Green Rating cover three areas: 1/ whether the school's students have a campus quality of life that is healthy and sustainable, 2/ how well the school is preparing its students for employment and citizenship in a world defined by environmental challenges, and 3/ the school's overall commitment to environmental issues.  

The institutional survey for the rating included questions on energy use, recycling, food, buildings, and transportation as well as academic offerings and action plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Princeton Review developed its Green Rating with ecoAmerica (www.ecoamerica.org), a non-profit environmental organization, in 2007-08.

The Princeton Review dedicated a resource area on its site www.princetonreview.com/green for students interested in attending a green college. There, users can also download "The Princeton Review's Guide to 286 Green Colleges" – the first free, comprehensive guidebook to the nation's most environmentally responsible colleges. The 197-page guide is a project The Princeton Review developed in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org).  Published April 20, it has profiles of schools that received scores in the 80th or higher percentile in the Company's 2009 tallies for its Green Ratings.  The guide can be downloaded at www.princetonreview.com/greenguide or at www.usgbc.org/campus.

About The Princeton Review College Ratings and College Rankings

The Princeton Review college ratings are scores on a scale of 60 to 99 in up to eight categories that appear on college profiles on its site and college guidebooks.   The ratings are based primarily on institutional data.  Categories include Academics, Admissions Selectivity, Financial Aid, Fire Safety and Green. The Princeton Review explains the criteria for each rating at www.princetonreview.com/college/college-ratings.aspx

The Princeton Review college rankings are lists of schools in 62 categories (in rank order: 1 to 20) based entirely on the Company's surveys of 122,000 students attending the schools in its book, "The Best 373 Colleges."  The survey asks students to rate their own schools on dozens of topics and report on their campus experiences at them. The Princeton Review explains the basis for each ranking list at www,princetonreview.com/college/college-rankings.aspx

On August 18, from 8:30 to 9:30 pm EDT, The Princeton Review will host a free, online event –  "Finding Your Best Fit College" – with advice for college applicants from author, Robert Franek.  (Information: www.princetonreview.com/bestfitcolleges).

The Princeton Review, headquartered in Framingham, MA with editorial offices in New York City and test preparation locations across the country and abroad, is not affiliated with Princeton University and it is not a magazine.

About The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review (Nasdaq: REVU) has been a pioneer and leader in helping students achieve their higher education goals for more than 28 years through college and graduate school test preparation and tutoring.  With more than 165 print and digital publications and a free website, (www.PrincetonReview.com), the Company provides students and their parents with the resources to research, apply to, prepare for, and learn how to pay for higher education.  The Princeton Review also partners with schools and guidance counselors throughout the U.S. to assist in college readiness, test preparation and career planning services, helping more students pursue postsecondary education.   The Company also owns and operates Penn Foster Education Group, a global leader in online education.  Penn Foster provides career-focused degree and vocational programs in the fields of allied health, business, technology, education, and select trades through the Penn Foster High School and Penn Foster Career School (www.pennfoster.edu), which are headquartered in Scranton, PA.

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SOURCE The Princeton Review, Inc.