Carson-Newman Cited as a Best College by both Princeton Review and Forbes

Carson-Newman College has received accolades from The Princeton Review and Forbes. Ranked by The Princeton Review among the Southeast region’s best 135 institutions, C-N is also one of only 14 Tennessee colleges or universities included on the Forbes list.

Only schools that allow Princeton Review to independently survey students are eligible to be considered for the firm’s endorsement. Forbes features the top 20 percent of America’s undergraduate institutions, as deemed by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP).

“The reality behind the rankings is what pleases us most,” said C-N President Randall O’Brien. “Carson-Newman’s faculty is committed to academic excellence for themselves and our students. They model and mentor joyfully and superbly, which is the secret to our success.”

“We’re pleased to recommend Carson-Newman College to users of our site as one of the best schools to earn their undergrad degree,” said Robert Franek, Princeton Review senior vice president for publishing. “We chose it and the other terrific institutions we name as ‘regional best’ colleges mainly for their excellent academic programs.

“From several hundred schools in each region, we winnowed our list based on institutional data we collected directly from the schools, our visits to schools over the years, and the opinions of our staff, plus college counselors and advisors whose recommendations we invite. We also take into account what students at the schools reported to us about their campus experiences at them on our 80-question student survey for this project.”

The Princeton Review Southeast region encompasses Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The publication also designated 220 colleges in the Northeast, 153 in the Midwest, and 121 in the West as best in their locales on the company’s “2012 Best Colleges: Region by Region” lists.

C-N is ranked sixth among the 14 Tennessee institutions noted by Forbes. Using criteria developed by Dr. Richard Vedder and the CCAP, the Forbes ranking system considers post-graduate success (30 percent), student satisfaction (27.5 percent), debt (17.5 percent), four-year graduation rate (17.5 percent), and competitive awards (7.5 percent).