Furman makes “Top 50” in Princeton Review’s “Green Colleges” guide

Furman University is listed among the “Top 50 Green Colleges” in the most recent edition of The Princeton Review’s Guide to 375 Green Colleges.

Furman is ranked No. 36 in the 2017 edition of the guide, which is available at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide.

The Princeton Review, an education services company known for its test prep and tutoring services, books, and college rankings, chose the schools for the seventh annual edition of its “green guide” based on data from the company’s 2016-17 survey of hundreds of four-year colleges concerning the schools’ commitments to the environment and sustainability.

The Princeton Review used data from its institutional survey and its surveys of students at the 375 colleges in the book to tally the ranking list.

“This national recognition is a real testament to the breadth, depth and successes of Furman’s sustainability programs and achievements. We are proud and honored to be recognized in Princeton Review’s “Top 50 Green Colleges” for 2017,” said Weston Dripps, executive director of the David E. Shi Center for Sustainability at Furman.

“We strongly recommend Furman University and the other fine colleges in this guide to the many environmentally-minded students who seek to study and live at green colleges,” said The Princeton Review’s Robert Franek, Senior VP-Publisher.

Franek noted the growing interest the company has seen among college-bound students in green colleges. “Among more than 10,000 teens and parents who participated in our 2017 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 64 percent told us that having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the college.”

The profiles in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 375 Green Colleges provide information about each school’s admission requirements, cost and financial aid, and student body stats. They also include “Green Facts” about the schools with details on the availability of transportation alternatives at the schools and the percentage of the school food budgets spent on local/organic food.

The Princeton Review first published the guide in 2010. It remains the only free, annually updated downloadable guide to green colleges. The company is also known for its dozens of categories of college rankings in its annual books, The Best 382 Colleges and Colleges That Pay You Back.

How Schools Were Chosen for the Guide
The Princeton Review chose the colleges based on “Green Rating” scores (from 60 to 99) that the company tallied in summer 2017 for 629 colleges using data from its 2016-17 survey of school administrators. The survey asked them to report on their school’s sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. More than 25 data points were weighted in the assessment. Schools with Green Rating scores of 80 or higher made it into the guide. Information was also pulled from the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS), a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS is a program of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

How the Top 50 Green Colleges List Was Compiled
The Princeton Review developed the ranking list using data from its institutional survey for its Green Rating and its surveys of students attending the colleges. Ten data points from the institutional survey were factored into the assessment. Data from the student survey included student ratings of how sustainability issues influenced their education and life on campus; administration and student support for environmental awareness and conservation efforts; and the visibility and impact of student environmental groups.

For further information or to download Princeton Review’s Guide to 375 Green Colleges, go to www.princetonreview.com/green-guide. Or contact the Furman University News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.