MC named a “Best in the Southeast” College by The Princeton Review
Maryville College is one of the best colleges in the Southeast, according to The Princeton Review. The well-known education services company lists the college among its “Best in the Southeast” recommended schools in its “2016 Best Colleges: Region by Region” website feature, which highlights 649 academically outstanding colleges in four regions of the country: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest and West.

Maryville College is one of only 140 colleges in 12 southeastern states selected for the “Best in the Southeast” designation.

The Princeton Review editors made their selections based on data the company collected from its survey of administrators at several hundred colleges in each region, as well as its staff visits to schools over the years and the perspectives of college counselors and advisors whose opinions the company solicits.

“We chose Maryville College and the other outstanding institutions on this list primarily for their excellent academics,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s senior vice president and publisher. “We also gave careful consideration to what students enrolled at the schools reported to us about their campus experiences on our student survey for this project. We designed our 80-question survey to include questions that prospective applicants might ask on a campus visit.”

Only schools that allow The Princeton Review to independently survey their students are eligible to be considered for the regional ‘best’ lists, and only schools at which the company sees a strong level of satisfaction among enrolled students make it to the final slate of regional ‘best’ college selections.

The Princeton Review survey asks students to rate their colleges on several issues – from the accessibility of their professors to the quality of the campus food – and answer questions about themselves, their fellow students and their campus life. Comments from surveyed students are quoted in the school profiles on The Princeton Review site.

On Maryville College’s profile, students described the College as “a small college with a strong sense of community,” noting that it has a “beautiful campus with lots of green grass and trees” and a convenient location near the Smoky Mountains and Knoxville.

MC students praised the College’s broad and extensive core curriculum, wide variety of majors and pre-professional programs and a “great study abroad program that offers cross-cultural learning opportunities in places as far-flung as China, Tunisia and South Africa.”

Students also commended MC’s faculty members who are accessible and deliver “enthralling” lectures, adding that “the professors love to teach and are good at it, too” and “they encourage discussion constantly in the classroom.”

The 140 colleges that The Princeton Review chose for its “Best in the Southeast” 2016 list are located in the following 12 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

MC included in Forbes listing of top colleges and universities
Maryville College is listed among 650 colleges and universities in Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges 2015” report.

The 196-year-old liberal arts college is one of 14 Tennessee higher education institutions included in the report.

“A growing number of colleges and universities are now focusing on student-consumer value over marketing prestige, making this a new age of return-on-investment education,” reads the online introduction to the rankings by Caroline Howard. “This pivot is the result of intense public scrutiny on the substantial cost of a degree vs. long tail worth — the very heart of Forbes’ definitive Top Colleges ranking, now in its eighth year.”

Forbes partnered with the Washington, D.C.-based Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP) to evaluate the nation’s colleges and universities.

“The Forbes list of 650 schools distinguishes itself from competitors by our belief in ‘output’ over ‘input,’” the introduction continues. “We’re not all that interested in what gets a student into college, like our peers who focus heavily on selectivity metrics such as high school class rank, SAT scores and the like. Our sights are set directly on ROI: What are students getting out of college?”

MC named a ‘College of Distinction’
Maryville College has been named a “College of Distinction” for the 2015-2016 school year and is now featured on CollegesofDistinction.com, a website and corresponding e-guidebook dedicated to honoring schools nationwide for their excellence in undergraduate-focused higher education.

“Colleges of Distinction is a college guide with a unique approach,” according to the Colleges of Distinction website. “Instead of looking for the richest or the most famous schools, we ask about what really matters: which colleges are the best places to learn, to grow and to succeed?”

Maryville College is one of a select group of colleges to earn this prestigious designation, based on its excellence in Four Distinctions: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant campus communities and successful outcomes. According to its website, a College of Distinction is nationally recognized by education professionals as an excellent school; strongly focused on teaching undergraduates; home to a wide variety of innovative learning experiences; an active campus with many opportunities for personal development; and highly valued by graduate schools and employers for its outstanding preparation.

High school college counselors and educators nominate colleges and universities for recognition by Colleges of Distinction, which then evaluates each school based on qualitative and quantitative research. The colleges and universities are not ranked and instead are members of a consortium of other equally impressive schools.

The selection process reviews such factors as the school’s first-year experience, general education program, experiential components of the curriculum, the strategic plan and alumni success and satisfaction.

Maryville College is among 12 Tennessee higher education institutions that received the College of Distinction designation for 2015-16.