Arkansas' "Academics" Compete Well Within The Five Major Athletic Conferences, According To Princeton Review

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. --- If the University of Arkansas were ranked academically within the nation’s five major athletic conferences this fall, it would land third in the Southeastern Conference, third in the Big 12, fifth in the PAC 10, sixth in the Big 10, and seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

At least that’s the judgment of the Princeton Review’s The Best 331 Colleges—2001 edition, which has just hit the nation’s bookstores.

For the second year in a row, the University of Arkansas has been included in this popular college guidebook and given an academic rating of 78 out of 100. Its highest rating, however, was for financial aid. Here the U of A was given an 89 for its combination of relatively low tuition and relatively high financial aid.

"It’s gratifying for the entire University of Arkansas extended family to see the institution receiving acclaim for its academic quality," said UA Chancellor John A. White. "This ranking reflects the talent and commitment of excellent students, a fine faculty, and a devoted staff. The Princeton Review’s recognition again this year of our growing academic reputation argues well for our vision of emerging as a nationally competitive, student-centered research university serving Arkansas and the world."

Selection for the college guidebook is based on a survey of nearly 60,000 students nationwide who, anonymously, rated their school’s faculty, workload, social life, sports and more. Between 175 and 200 students are surveyed at each institution. Other criteria include admissions requirements and institutional data about class size, the student-faculty ratio, and the percentage of professors teaching undergraduate classes.

The narrative about the U of A begins thus: "The flagship campus of the state university system, University of Arkansas—Fayetteville prides itself as a research institution that also provides quality education to undergraduates."

Student comments are sprinkled throughout. One such comment:

"The University of Arkansas’ redeeming quality is its honors program. The honors program administration, professors, and classes exceed the level of the university, providing upper-level students an educational opportunity rivaling more acclaimed private universities."

The Princeton Review’s Best Colleges guidebook has been published by Random House, New York, since 1992.

What follows are rankings of the University of Arkansas within the five major athletic conferences (with which it compares itself on various measures) on the basis of the academic rating provided by the guidebook: