Randolph College ranked #16 in nation for Green Colleges

Randolph College is one of the nation’s most “green” colleges, according to rankings released Wednesday by The Princeton Review. Randolph ranked #16 in the nation and was one of only two schools in Virginia to make the list.

The ranking was part of The Princeton Review’s Guide to 375 Green Colleges: 2017 Edition, which recognizes the 375 most environmentally responsible colleges in the nation. The rankings can be accessed here: www.princetonreview.com/green-guide/.

“We are pleased to once again be recognized for our sustainability efforts,” said Randolph President Bradley W. Bateman. “To earn the ranking of #16 in the nation and #1 in Virginia is an accomplishment and a direct effort of the work of our entire community. At Randolph, sustainability is a priority. We may be a small school, but we also realize that together, our efforts can make a big difference in the world.”

The Princeton Review chose the schools for this seventh annual edition of its “green guide” based on data from the company’s 2016-17 survey of hundreds of four-year colleges concerning the schools’ commitments to the environment and sustainability.

“We strongly recommend Randolph College and the other fine colleges in this guide to the many environmentally-minded students who seek to study and live at green colleges,” said The Princeton Review’s Robert Franek, senior vp-publisher.

Franek noted the growing interest the company has seen among college-bound students in green colleges. “Among more than 10,000 teens and parents who participated in our 2017 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 64% told us that having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the college.” (A complete report on that survey is at www.princetonreview.com/college-hopes-worries/.)

The profiles in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 375 Green Colleges provide information about each school’s admission requirements, cost and financial aid, and student body stats. They also include “Green Facts” about the schools with details on the availability of transportation alternatives at the schools and the percentage of the school food budgets spent on local/organic food.

The Princeton Review highlighted Randolph’s extensive sustainability efforts, including in part, the work of the sustainability committee, bike share program, campus shuttle, and more. The College earned a 97 out of 99 Green Rating. This rating, on a scale of 60–99, provides a comprehensive measure of a school’s performance as an environmentally aware and prepared institution. Specifically, it includes 1) whether students have a campus quality of life that is both healthy and sustainable, 2) how well a school is preparing students for employment in the clean-energy economy of the 21st century as well as for citizenship in a world now defined by environmental concerns and opportunities and 3) how environmentally responsible a school’s policies are.

“I am so excited that we have made it on Princeton Review’s Top 50 list once again,” said Sara Woodward ’16. “The Green Rating methodology focuses on students, whether students have a healthy and sustainable life on campus and whether they graduate ready to tackle global environmental challenges. Randolph has always been student focused, and the faculty consistently encourage students to address local environmental and social sustainability issues, so I’m grateful the Princeton Review has acknowledged these efforts.”

The Princeton Review first published this guide in 2010. It remains the only free, annually updated downloadable guide to green colleges. The company is also known for its dozens of categories of college rankings in its annual books, The Best 382 Colleges and Colleges That Pay You Back.

How Schools Were Chosen for the Guide
The Princeton Review chose the colleges based on “Green Rating” scores (from 60 to 99) that the company tallied in summer 2017 for 629 colleges using data from its 2016-17 survey of school administrators. The survey asked them to report on their school’s sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. More than 25 data points were weighted in the assessment. Schools with Green Rating scores of 80 or higher made it into this guide. Most of the schools (362) in this edition are in the U.S. Twelve are in Canada. One is in Egypt. Information about Princeton Review’s Green Rating and its Green Honor Roll saluting schools that received the highest possible rating score, 99, is at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide/. Note: The scores can be found in the profiles of the schools on www.princetonreview.com and in the 2017 edition of The Princeton Review books, The Best 382 Colleges and The Complete Book of Colleges, published in August 2017.

How the Top 50 Green Colleges List Was Done
The Princeton Review developed the ranking list using data from its institutional survey for its Green Rating and its surveys of students attending the colleges. Ten data points from the institutional survey were factored into the assessment. Data from the student survey included student ratings of how sustainability issues influenced their education and life on campus; adminis¬tration and student support for environmental awareness and conservation efforts; and the visibility and impact of student environmental groups.