Princeton Review Names OBU 'Best in the West' for 2016

For the 11th consecutive year, The Princeton Review named Oklahoma Baptist University one of the best colleges and universities in the western United States. OBU was one of 126 institutions listed in the "Best in the West" section on the educational research firm's website feature, "2016 Best Colleges: Region by Region."

Colleges selected each year must meet two criteria. First, they must pass reviews for academic excellence. Princeton Review makes those assessments based on data collected in administrator surveys and information from both staff and counselor advisors who are invited to participate in the survey. Second, 136,000 students at 380 colleges and universities are independently surveyed through a secure online survey. The survey asks students 80 questions about their school's academics, administration, student body and themselves. The ranking methodology uses a five-point scale to convert qualitative student assessments into quantitative data for school-to-school comparisons.

"I am pleased that Oklahoma Baptist University has once again been recognized by The Princeton Review as a 'Best in the West' institution," said OBU President Dr. David W. Whitlock. "It is especially gratifying that these rankings are based largely on feedback from OBU students, which reflects the impact we are making academically, socially and spiritually on our students' lives. Our University's excellence begins in the classroom and extends into all areas of campus life. These rankings recognize the dedication and commitment of our faculty and staff to our students' success."

Comments from surveyed students are quoted in the school profiles on The Princeton Review website. One Spanish major stated, "OBU is a Christian university that focuses on the liberal arts so that students are exposed to many different areas of study in order to succeed in a diverse world." Students described their professors as "passionate" and "inspiring," with one student explaining, "Professors are engaging, encouraging and happy to help students." The surveys indicated that most students define their educational experience at OBU with tremendous respect for "amazing" professors.

OBU is one of seven Oklahoma schools to make the list, among the 126 colleges honored in the 15-state region. The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges in its list hierarchically. The "Best in the West" colleges are located in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The Princeton Review also designated 225 colleges in the Northeast, 159 in the Midwest, and 139 in the Southeast for those regional lists.

The Princeton Review is a leading tutoring, test prep and college admission services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school-bound students achieve their education and career goals through online and in person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors, online resources, and its more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House. The Princeton Review is headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts. For more information and for a full list of the rankings, visit www.princetonreview.com/best380.