Furman listed among “Colleges That Pay You Back”

Furman University is listed among the nation’s top 200 schools that provide students with an outstanding combination of academics, affordability and career prospects, according to a new book published by The Princeton Review.

Furman is also ranked No. 7 among the top 25 schools listed in the special category of “Best Schools for Making an Impact.”  Those schools were selected based on student ratings and responses to survey questions covering community service opportunities at their school, student government, sustainability efforts and on-campus student engagement.

Furman is included in the 2015 edition of Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Best Value Colleges and What It Takes to Get In.  The publication is meant to serve as a “guide to the nation’s academically best and most affordable colleges that also have excellent records of alumni employment.”

“To be recognized nationally as a best value is gratifying, but to know that our students believe we are providing many opportunities for public engagement on our campus and in the wider community is truly meaningful,” said Furman President Elizabeth Davis. “That commitment to serving others is a distinguishing quality of Furman students and graduates.”

The Princeton Review developed a unique “Return-on-Education (ROE) rating to compile its list of colleges for the book, which includes detailed data on academics, cost, financial aid, student debt, graduation rates, alumni salaries and job satisfaction.  The data was collected in 2013-14 from a surveys of administrators and students at 650 colleges, plus surveys of the schools’ alumni conducted by PayScale.com.

“We strongly recommend these schools,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s Senior VP/Publisher and lead author of Colleges That Pay You Back.  “They deliver outstanding academics while working to be affordable to students with need—offering generous financial aid or charging a relatively low cost of attendance (or both).  Plus their students graduate with great career prospects.”

The 2015 Colleges That Pay You Back project is an expansion of The Princeton Review’s annual “Best Value Colleges” list and book first published in 2004.

For more information, visit The Princeton Review website or contact Furman’s News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.