Princeton Review cites Denison as a 'College That Pays You Back'

The Princeton Review has selected Denison University as one of the nation's best colleges for students seeking a superb education with great career preparation and at an affordable price. The education services company features Denison in the 2016 edition of its book, “Colleges That Pay You Back: Schools That Give You the Best Bang for Your Tuition Buck.”

This set of elite undergraduate schools was chosen based the students' overall investment their college education and the measurable return on that investment (ROI). Important determining factors include low net cost, high financial aid, low student debt and high alumni salaries. In all, the ratings weighted fully 40 data points that also measured academics, graduation rates, student debt and alumni job satisfaction.

These criteria all align closely with Denison's commitment to affordability and its best-of-brand career preparation, while it continues to be recognized as a leader among the nation's top academic colleges and universities. Along these lines, Princeton Review's profile of Denison includes an exceptional score for return on investment, citing PayScale.com figures that documents Denison as alumni having a higher average income after college than alumni from any other liberal arts college in the state.

Beyond the obvious ROI-related kudos, the Princeton Review's editors also praise Denison for “the rigor of academics and the broad range of academic opportunities.” They note a comment from a Denison student who said about the faculty, “We are so privileged to be surrounded by scholars who are passionate about teaching and learning what they love.”

About what Denison offers, University President Adam Weinberg said, “Our students get a fantastic education from mentoring faculty who are at the top of their fields. They get terrific support from our career office, with many opportunities for funded internships, externships and networking with our alumni. And Denison is committed to being an affordable option for our students: only about half our students graduate with debt, and the average is significantly lower than national average.” Weinberg added, “We are happy that Princeton Review recognizes the excellence and value of the life foundation that Denison and our students build together here.”

“We highly recommend Denison and all of our Colleges That Pay You Back schools. They stand out not only for their outstanding academics, but also for their affordability via comparatively low sticker prices and/or generous financial aid to students with need – or both,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review's senior vice president/publisher and lead author of the book. “Students at these colleges also have access to extraordinary career services programs from their freshman year on, plus a lifetime of alumni connections and post-grad support.”

Denison is joined on this year's list by Ivy League schools Harvard, Yale and Princeton, as well as prestigious West Coast universities Stanford, University of California-Berkeley and California Institute of Technology.