PRINCETON REVIEW REPORTS FINANCIAL AID RATING SCORES FOR 612 COLLEGES FOR 2013

• Scores Published in School Profiles on PrincetonReview.com and 2013 Editions of Company College Guides

• 10 Colleges Receiving Highest Score (99) Named to "Financial Aid Rating Honor Roll"

NEW YORK, August 20, 2012 – The Princeton Review—known for its education services that help students choose, get into, and get financial aid from colleges—today published its annual "Financial Aid Ratings" of colleges. The Company tallied these ratings for 612 colleges this year using data it obtained from the colleges about their aid award programs during the 2011-1012 academic year.

The "Financial Aid Rating" scores (reported on a scale of 60 to 99) appear in the Princeton Review profiles of the colleges on www.PrincetonReview.com and in the new 2013 editions of two Princeton Review guidebooks published by Random House, Inc: "The Complete Book of Colleges" published August 7, and "The Best 377 Colleges", which goes on sale tomorrow, August 21, in a print edition and a new enhanced eBook edition.

The Princeton Review tallies its "Financial Aid Rating" based on data it collects from two sources: institutional surveys of administrators about their school's financial aid award programs, and surveys of students attending the colleges about their satisfaction with their aid awards. Data from the institutional survey includes: the percentage of the school's students determined to have need who received aid, the percentage of need met, and the percentage of students whose aid was fully met.

The Princeton Review's "2013 Financial Aid Rating Honor Roll"

Ten colleges received the highest possible score (99) in the Princeton Review rating tallies this year. The Company named these colleges to its "2013 Financial Aid Rating Honor Roll." The list, which appears on www.PrincetonReview.com and will be published in "The Best 377 Colleges" includes:

(in alphabetical order)

• Claremont McKenna College(Claremont, CA)
• Colgate University (Hamilton, NY)
• Columbia University (New York, NY)
• Grinnell College (Grinnell, IA)
• Pomona College (Claremont, CA)
• Princeton University (Princeton, NJ)
• Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, PA)
• Thomas Aquinas College (Santa Paula, CA)
• Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY)
• Yale University (New Haven, CT)

Robert Franek, Princeton Review Senior VP / Publisher, said "We salute these schools for their exceptional commitment to meeting the financial aid needs of so many of their students. That commitment is especially meaningful considering the budgetary and economic challenges all institutions of higher education are facing."

Franek noted the growing concerns families have about college costs. Among 10,650 college applicants and parents of applicants Princeton Review surveyed in 2012 for its "College Hopes & Worries Survey," 86% said financial aid would be "very" or "extremely" necessary to pay for college. Survey respondents' biggest worry about their college applications was that they/their child "would get in to their first choice college, but not have sufficient funds to attend it."

Other financial aid information resources The Princeton Review provides in the new edition of its book, "The Best 377 Colleges" (and also on its site) include:

• A list of top 20 ranking schools for "Great Financial Aid"
  This list names schools in the book at which students surveyed reported the highest levels of satisfaction with their aid award packages. The book also has a corollary list, "Financial Aid Not So Great." Both are posted at www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings.aspx
• A list of "150 Best Value Colleges for 2012"
  This list features 75 public and 75 private colleges that the Princeton Review profiles in depth in its book, "The Best Value Colleges: 150 Best-Buy Schools and What It Takes To Get In" (February 2012). Selections were based on analyses of more than 30 data points covering academics, cost, and financial aid. The list is accessible at www.princetonreview.com/best-value-colleges.aspx and www.bestvaluecolleges.usatoday.com on a special area on the site of USA TODAY (which partners with Princeton Review on the project).
• Advice: "26 Tips for Getting Financial Aid, Scholarships & Grants, and for Paying Less for College"
  This section is by Kalman Chany, author of The Princeton Review's annually updated guide, "Paying for College Without Going Broke."

About The Princeton Review College Ratings and College Rankings

The Princeton Review college ratings are scores on a scale of 60 to 99 that the Company annually tallies for hundreds of colleges in eight categories including Academics, Admissions Selectivity, Financial Aid, Fire Safety, and Green. The scores appear on college profiles on its site and in its college guidebooks. The ratings are based primarily on institutional data: The Princeton Review explains the basis for each rating at www.princetonreview.com/college/college-ratings.aspx

The Princeton Review college rankings are lists of schools in 62 categories (in rank order: 1 to 20) based entirely on the Company's surveys of 122,000 students attending the schools in its book, "The Best 377 Colleges." The survey asks students to rate their own schools on dozens of topics and report on their campus experiences at them. The Princeton Review explains the basis for each ranking at www.princetonreview.com/college/college-rankings.aspx

About The Princeton Review

Founded in 1981, The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com) is a privately held education services company headquartered in Framingham, MA. The Company has long been a leader in helping college and graduate school–bound students achieve their education and career goals through its test preparation services, tutoring and admissions resources, online courses, and more than 150 print and digital books published by Random House, Inc. The Princeton Review delivers its programs via a network of more than 5,000 teachers and tutors in the U.S.A., Canada, and international franchises. The Company also partners with schools and guidance counselors worldwide to provide students with college readiness, test preparation and career planning services. The Princeton Review is not a magazine, and the Company is not affiliated with Princeton University.

#  #  #

SOURCE: TPR Education IP Holdings, LLC

WEBSITE: http://www.princetonreview.com

CONTACT: Jeanne Krier, Princeton Review Books, 212-539-1350, or Kristen O'Toole, The Princeton Review, 888-347-7737 ext 1405 (kotoole@review.com).

Available for interviews
Robert Franek, Senior VP / Publisher, The Princeton Review, and author of "The Best 377 Colleges," or one of the book's senior editors can discuss the Princeton Review's college ratings or rankings well as findings from its surveys of administrators, students, and parents on college issues.

- 0 -