Princeton Review ranks Shepherd among best in southeast

Shepherd University has been ranked among the best colleges in the southeastern U.S. by The Princeton Review, which has ranked 656 colleges across five U.S. regions, according to provost Dr. Scott Beard.

“This recognition showcases Shepherd’s academic programs, student support services, and campus events for our current and future student body,” Beard said of the ranking.

In its website profile on Shepherd, the review describes the college as sitting “scenically above the Potomac River, just 90 miles away from Washington, D.C., and Baltimore” and commends it for offering “a plethora of programs and events” available to help students.

“We chose Shepherd and the other outstanding institutions on this list primarily for their academics,” review editor-in-chief Robert Franek said of the ranking.

Princeton considers data from its survey of administrators at colleges in each region as well as staff visits to schools over the years and the opinions of college counselors and advisors whose perspectives the company solicits.

“We also consider what students enrolled at the schools reported to us on our student survey about their campus experiences,” he said.

The Princeton Review survey asks students to rate their colleges on dozens of issues and to answer questions about themselves, their fellow students, and their campus life.

Comments from surveyed students are quoted in the school profiles on The Princeton Review website.

Some student comments about Shepherd include: “big on community service and community in general,” and professors are “very passionate about their fields,” “want to make a difference in your life,” and are “very open when it comes to meeting with students.”

The Princeton Review is an education services company known for its tutoring, test-prep, books, and other student resources. Headquartered in New York City, it is not affiliated with Princeton University.

Shepherd is an hour's drive from Washington, D.C., and five from the state capital at Charleston, West Virginia.