Princeton Review names Clemson as a "college that pays you back"

by Press Release - Mon Feb 06 10:35:37 GMT-04:00 2017

CLEMSON — Clemson University is one of the nation’s best colleges for students seeking a superb education with great career preparation at an affordable price, according to The Princeton Review.

The education services company features the school in the 2017 edition of its just-published book “Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give You the Best Bang for Your Tuition Buck.”

The Princeton Review chose the schools based on return-on-investment ratings it tallied for 650 schools last year. The ratings weighted 40 data points that covered everything from academics, cost and financial aid to graduation rates, student debt and alumni salaries and job satisfaction. The Princeton Review editors culled data from the company’s surveys of administrators and students in 2015-16 and from PayScale.com‘s surveys of school alumni conducted through April 2016.

“We are gratified to receive such accolades from The Princeton Review,” said Clemson’s director of admissions, Robert Barkley. “They say so much about what prospective students can receive from the university, including a fun, quality experience with the opportunity for a substantial return on investment following graduation.”

“We highly recommend Clemson University and all of our ‘Colleges That Pay You Back’ schools,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s senior vice president/publisher and lead author of the book. “They stand out not only for their outstanding academics but also for their affordability via comparatively low sticker prices and/or generous financial aid to students with need— or both. Students at these colleges also have access to extraordinary career services programs from their freshman year on, plus a lifetime of alumni connections and post-grad support.”

In the book’s profile of Clemson, the editors praise the school writing, “Clemson University works to engage students and provide them with advantages in the workforce that begin with their undergraduate experience. Students have worked at more than 375 companies through cooperative education, providing them with the ability to apply what is learned in class to real-life situations, while making invaluable contacts in the field they have chosen to pursue. This makes them strong contenders in today’s job market.”

The book also uses quotes from Clemson students the company surveyed, one of whom described the college as “the total package: challenging academics, beautiful campus, sports, a thriving Greek life, Southern edge and that extra something that just makes me excited to be here every morning when I wake up.”

The “Career Information” section of the profile gives Clemson an exceptional return-on-investment rating. It also cites PayScale.com figures reporting Clemson’s graduates with at least a bachelor’s degree have a median starting salary of $53,000 and median mid-career salary of $90,800.

“Colleges That Pay You Back” has seven categories of ranking lists and six that name the top 25 schools in special categories. Clemson was listed sixth for “Best Alumni Network” and 10th for “Top Internship Opportunities.”