Calvin News

Calvin College is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to the Princeton Review. The education services company features the school in the recently published 2015 edition of its annual college guide, “The Best 379 Colleges.”

Only about 15 percent of the nation's four-year colleges are included in the guide, which bases its selections on institutional data, school visits, student feedback and the opinions of both the Princeton Review staff and the 30-member National College Counselor Advisory Board. The Princeton Review depends heavily on student surveys in forming each school's two-page profile.

In a “Survey Says” sidebar in the book’s profile on Calvin, the Princeton Review lists topics that Calvin students surveyed for the book were in most agreement about in their answers to survey questions. The list includes: “Students are friendly,” “lab facilities are great,” “great off-campus food” and “athletic facilities are great,” to name a few.

Students highlight faculty

In the profile, the college’s admissions office states “quality teaching and accessibility to students are considered top priorities by faculty members.”

And students who were surveyed backed up that claim. One nursing student says: “The professors are what makes this school. They know everyone by name and help you to succeed.” Another biochemistry student says: “The professors are all very passionate about their field and they pass that on to the students.” Students add that their professors are “very intelligent and well respected, but also very down-to earth.”

And, according to the college’s admissions office, student learning at Calvin is paying off. In a survey of recent graduates, the college states that “nearly 100 percent of responders report that they had either secured a job or begun graduate school within six months of graduation.” The college reports that “Calvin is among the top 5 percent of four-year private colleges in the number of graduates who go on to earn a PhD.”

Calvin gets additional recognition

In addition to being included in the Princeton Review’s “Best 379 Colleges,” Calvin is also touted as one of the country’s best and most interesting institutions in the 2015 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges. Calvin made the lists for small colleges and universities strong in business and also in engineering. Calvin is the only college in Michigan on either of those lists.

And, Money magazine ranks Calvin College as the top private school in Michigan on its “The Best Colleges For Your Money” list, which is compiled based on educational quality, affordability and career outcomes.