According to The Princeton Review, Southwestern is one of the 416 most environmentally responsible colleges. 

The Princeton Review selected the 416 colleges based on its survey of administrators at 695 colleges in 2019–2020 concerning their institutions’ sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. The school profiles in The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges include “Green Facts” sections detailing such matters as the availability of transportation alternatives on campus and the percentage of the college food budget spent on local or organic food. More than 25 survey data points were analyzed by the editors to tally Green Ranking scores for the schools on a scale of 60 to 99. Colleges that earned a Green Rating of 80 or higher made it into the guide. Of the 416 schools in the 2021 edition, 393 are in the U.S., 22 are in Canada, and one is in Greece. The Green Rating scores appear in the profiles of the schools in the guide on The Princeton Review website. These profiles also provide information about the schools’ admission requirements, cost, financial aid, and student body demographics. The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges: 2021 Edition was published on October 20, 2020, and can be accessed at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide.

The Princeton Review has published its annual Guide to Green Colleges since 2010. The company is also known for its dozens of categories of annual college rankings, including The Best 386 Colleges and The Best Value Colleges, which Southwestern has ranked in as well. 

“We strongly recommend Southwestern University to students who want to study and live at a green college,” says Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor in chief. “Each and every one of the outstanding colleges in this edition of our guide offers both excellent academics and exemplary evidence of environmental commitment.”

The Princeton Review has seen a rising level of emphasis on colleges with green practices, programs, and offerings by college applicants and their parents. Franek notes that 66% of the 12,845 respondents (college-bound teens and parents) to The Princeton Review’s 2020 College Hopes & Worries Survey said that having information about a college’s commitment to the environment would affect their (or their child’s) decision to apply to or attend a school.

The Princeton Review, a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admission services company, strives to provide resources to aid millions of college and graduate students in their educational and professional careers. Comprising a community of thousands, online and in-person courses are delivered to students by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors.