How We Rate

Sweet Briar Receives Top Scores in 2007 National Survey of Student Engagement

The 2007 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) results are in, and Sweet Briar remains at the head of the class in student engagement.

SBC outperformed other U.S. colleges and universities in the liberal arts college sectors, and exceeded the national average on all five key NSSE measures. In fact, among seniors the College scored in the top 10 percent of all institutions that participated in the 2007 survey on all five benchmarks.

The NSSE survey was developed from data indicating that students who put more time and energy into activities that matter to their education — both inside and outside the classroom — learn more during college than those who are not as involved. First-year students and seniors are asked to respond to questions that measure five empirically proven benchmarks of learning.

Sweet Briar's 2007 NSSE results confirm that our students are getting what they came here for — a quality education.

Sweet Briar Joins Web-based Information Network to Share, Compare Data

Sweet Briar College is one of more than 600 private higher education institutions to be profiled in the University & College Accountability Network launched Sept. 26, 2007, by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

As of the launch date, about 440 colleges and universities, including Sweet Briar had published their profiles to the network, which NAICU has dubbed U-CAN.

U-CAN is a Web-based source for comprehensive information about participating colleges and universities. It was developed over the past year in response to pressure from the U.S. Congress, Department of Education and the public to provide transparent facts, figures and institutional characteristics to prospective students and their parents.

U-CAN does not rank institutions. The information provided in the two-page profile on each school is derived from the U.S. Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System survey and the Common Data Set. Participating institutions contribute narrative sections in addition to data.

The data include admission rates, enrollment, academics, student demographics, graduation rates, most common fields of study, transfer credit policy, accreditation, faculty information, class size, tuition and fees trends, price of attendance, financial aid, campus housing, student life and campus safety.

To access Sweet Briar's U-CAN profile, go to www.ucan-network.org.

Sweet Briar Makes Princeton Review Top-20 Lists

We've always known it and now everyone else does, too. Sweet Briar College was ranked the No. 1 "Most Beautiful Campus" in the Princeton Review's annual college guidebook, "Best 366 Colleges."

In the 2008 edition Sweet Briar was ranked in five top-20 category lists, which are based on student surveys at 366 colleges. In addition to "Most Beautiful Campus," SBC came in at No. 5 for "Best Career/Job Placement Services," No. 8 for "Professors Make Themselves Available," No. 10 for "Professors Get High Marks" and No. 13 for "Class Discussions Encouraged."

The Princeton Review survey asks students 80 questions about their school's academics, administration, campus life, student body and themselves. Tallies for this edition's rankings are based on surveys of 120,000 students attending the schools that are listed in the book, which represent about 15 percent of four-year U.S. colleges and two Canadian colleges.

The Review compiles top-20 lists in more than 60 categories. According to a press release, "A college's appearance on these lists is attributable to a high consensus among its surveyed students about the subject."

The schools in the book are not ranked academically nor are they ranked 1 to 366 in any single category.

The new rankings and profiles of the 366 schools are posted at the Princeton Review Web site. To see the rankings, visit www.princetonreview.com.