U.S. News & World Report, the Princeton Review, Forbes and the Fiske Guide to Colleges again rank Calvin College among the best colleges and universities in the nation.

U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report ranks Calvin 102nd among national liberal arts colleges in their 2012 Best Colleges guidebook, keeping Calvin in the top tier of schools rated in the survey. For the second year in a row, Calvin is one of just 24 institutions in the nation to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report for its commitment to service learning. In 2010, Calvin received similar recognition from the Carnegie Foundation and the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll—the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.

“It’s not surprising to see Calvin College’s excellence in Christian liberal arts education reflected yet again in these national rankings,” said Calvin provost Claudia Beversluis. “The recognition for service-learning is consistent with our mission to educate students for service now and in the future, around the city and across the globe. Service is an integral part of many of our classes, residence hall life, research and study projects, internships and study abroad.”

The Princeton Review

Calvin College also appeared in Princeton Review’s annual college guide “The Best 373 Colleges.” The publication bases its college selections on institutional data, school visits, student feedback and the opinions of the Princeton Review staff and 28-member National College Counselor advisory board. Princeton Review depends heavily on student surveys in forming each school’s two-page profile.

Among other things, Calvin students highlight the experience and support they get from their professors. One student says: “Not only do they know their stuff, but they will go above and beyond to help you.” Students were also complimentary about the sense of community fostered at Calvin. “We are learning to live socially, academically and spiritually together.”

Calvin was also among a select 25-percent of Midwestern schools chosen for Princeton Review’s “Best in the Midwest” section of their website feature “2012 Best Colleges: Region by Region.”

Forbes and Fiske

Calvin College also appeared in both Forbes’ annual college guide and the 2012 edition of The Fiske Guide to Colleges.

Both guides recognize schools based upon the value they provide to their students. Forbes ranks Calvin 218^th on their list of 650 schools—among the top 20 percent of all undergraduate institutions. The Forbes list is prepared by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP), a Washington D.C. think tank. Institutions are ranked based on quality of teaching, great career prospects, graduation rates and low levels of debt.

The Fiske Guide to Colleges features 315 of the best and most interesting colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada and Great Britain. Edward B. Fiske, former education editor for the New York Times, compiles the annual guide. Colleges featured in this year’s guide were selected with several criteria in mind, beginning with academic quality.

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