Ripon College included in Princeton Review’s Best Colleges listing for 2021

Ripon College is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review’s 2021 edition of The Best 386 Colleges. Ripon also was named to its Best Regional Colleges list.

The annual list is based on survey data collected from students at more than 2,000 U.S. colleges across the country. Only five of those designated are in Wisconsin. Designated schools are featured with detailed profiles and rating scores in several categories.

In a survey of administrators at the designated schools, conducted from July 1 to July 22, The Princeton Review found that administrators’ top priority for this academic year is “social distancing: maintaining health and safety on campus.” Administrators ranked the greatest concern among students to be “financial aid.”

• Nearly 4 of 10 respondents (39%) reported their projected fall enrollment is down from 2019, while 19% reported an increase; 42% said it is about the same.
• Just over 1 in 8 respondents (14%) reported the percentage of in-state students in their school’s incoming first-year class is higher than it was in 2019, while 6% reported it is lower than it was in 2019.
• More than 9 out of 10 (93%) reported their schools were making COVID-19–related modifications in classrooms, labs, residence halls, and dining halls.
• Two-thirds (67%) anticipated the majority of their fall courses would be principally hybrid (part in-person, part online) classes: 21% said in-person and 12% said online.

“COVID-19 has presented sobering challenges for school administrators and educators, as well as daunting decisions for students and their parents,” said Robert Franek, editor-in-chief at The Princeton Review. “What impressed us in our administrator survey findings is the flexibility many colleges built into their reopening plans, especially those giving students options to study remotely or on campus with health and safety protocols in place.”

Detailed survey results can be viewed here.