MSU Maintains Spot on Princeton Review 'Best in Midwest' List

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Missouri State University is among The Princeton Review's latest list of "Best Colleges: Region by Region."

There are 153 schools on the list; MSU has been included on this list since its inception ten years ago.

"An important factor in their selection process is information they received through a survey of our students," said Don Simpson, associate vice president for enrollment management, in a statement Wednesday. "That's the best endorsement we can get."

In addition to the student surveys, selection is based on a qualitative evaluation of academic excellence, as well as visits to schools and opinions from Princeton Review's staff and college advisers.

"We're pleased to recommend Missouri State University to users of our site as one of the best schools to earn their undergraduate degree. We chose it, and the other terrific institutions we name as regional best colleges, mainly for their excellent academic programs," said Robert Franek, Princeton Review's senior vice president of publishing, in a statement. "We also take into account the responses from our 80-question student survey. Only schools that permit us to independently survey their students are eligible to be considered for our regional best lists."

The 153 colleges The Princeton Review chose for this year's "Best in the Midwest" designations are located in 12 states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The Princeton Review also designated 222 colleges in the Northeast, 122 in the West, and 136 in the Southeast as best in their locales on the company's 2012 Best Colleges: Region by Region section on its website. According to The Princeton Review, the 633 colleges named "regional bests" represent about 25 percent of the nation's 2,500 four-year colleges.