We've divided the country into four regions and identified 629 colleges that we feel stand out as academically excellent institutions of higher learning. Some are nationally known, while others have strong regional reputations; together they represent an inclusive cross-section of colleges. Select a region below to learn more about the schools we've chosen.

The Regions

This feature focuses on the best colleges in four regions: the Northeast, West, Southeast, and Midwest. Our decision to produce this feature is fueled by a desire to raise awareness of academically excellent colleges for students looking to study within a specific geographic area. Many of these schools are nationally-renowned institutions of higher learning, but others may be less familiar to you.

The Selection Process

We avoided using any sort of mathematical calculations or formulas to determine which colleges and universities to include in this feature. For each region, we aim to provide an inclusive mix of colleges: large and small, public and private, all-male and all-female, historically black colleges and universities, science and technology-focused institutions, nontraditional colleges, highly selective colleges and those with virtually open-door admissions. Though not every college included will appeal to every student, all are institutions well worth considering, and many are great buys.

The colleges we chose this year had to meet two criteria. First, they had to meet our standards for academic excellence within their region. Second, we had to be able to survey their students anonymously, either through our online survey, or through our paper survey, which we distribute and collect on campus. In many instances, we are able to contact students on our own and collect enough student surveys to produce a representative, opinion-driven profile for a particular college. But oftentimes we rely on a college's administrators to help us get in contact with its students. Therefore, if some excellent colleges seem conspicuously absent from our list, it may be the result of unwillingness on the part of administrators to assist us and our inability to collect a sufficient number of student surveys from the school through other means.

So explore each region and the colleges within them; read what students had to say about their schools in the "Students Say" section of each profile. But don't forget to take our information on these colleges as you should take information from any source--as input that reflects the values and opinions of others, which may be helpful to you as you form your own opinion. Our lists of Best Regional Colleges are a starting point, a tool that can help you to probe the surface and get a sense of the college experience at a particular school. You must also, of course, do your own investigation, refer to other sources, visit the campuses, and develop your own list of best colleges for you. Only then will this feature be the useful tool that it is intended to be.

All rankings, ratings and listings are intellectual property of The Princeton Review, Inc. No rankings, ratings or listings, or other proprietary information in this book may be repurposed, abridged, excerpted, combined with other data, or altered for reproduction in any way without the express permission of The Princeton Review.