UNF Named a Best in the Southeast College by Princeton Review

Joanna Norris, Associate Director 

Department of Public Relations 

(904) 620-2102 

The University of North Florida is one of the best colleges in the Southeast, according to the nationally known education services company, The Princeton Review. It’s one of 135 institutions The Princeton Review recommends in its “Best in the Southeast” section of its website feature, “2012 Best Colleges: Region by Region.” 

“I am delighted that UNF is being recognized for the fourth consecutive year as an all-around outstanding academic institution within the Southeast by The Princeton Review,” said UNF President John Delaney. “This prestigious recognition affirms the tremendous on-going effort UNF has put forth to build one of the finest universities in the state.” 

In the profile on UNF, The Princeton Review describes the college as “possessing all the aspects of a huge state college with a much more laid back feel” and where students “love to learn and are actively involved in making a real difference.” Many students raved about their personal experience at UNF and said “small size and scholarship offers make me feel like I really matter,” and “you’re not a number, you’re a person.” 

UNF professors are also described as “knowledgeable” and “what they teach is applicable to the real world,” so students feel prepared “for opportunities in the professional world.” Additionally, professors were praised for their accessibility, with students reporting that they have “never had a situation where a professor was unavailable,” and that “it’s not uncommon for instructors to give students their home phone number.”  

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

      The 135 colleges The Princeton Review chose for its “Best in the Southeast” designation are located in 12 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The Princeton Review 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. Collectively, the 629 colleges named “regional bests” constitute about 25 percent of the nation’s 2,500 four-year colleges. 

The Princeton Review doesn’t rank the 629 colleges in its “2012 Best Colleges: Region by Region” list hierarchically or by region or in various categories. For this project, the Princeton Review asks students to rate their own schools on several issues—ranging from the accessibility of their professors to quality of the campus food—and answer questions about themselves, their fellow students and their campus life. 

The Princeton Review 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. 

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