Princeton Review ranks Richmond high for returns

The Princeton Review included University of Richmond in its list of "Colleges That Pay You Back: 2015 Edition" this week, making Richmond one of the 200 colleges or universities in this unranked category that is being recognized in terms of academic preparation, affordability and career opportunities.

Richmond consistently ranks high on many lists that The Princeton Review coordinates annually, but this is the first time Richmond has been included in the category for Colleges That Pay You Back. In The Princeton Review, Richmond is ranked No. 3 in the country for Best Science Lab Facilities, No. 6 for Best Career Services and No. 11 for Best Athletic Facilities.

“The University of Richmond has showed incredible momentum on so many of these national rankings,” said Steve Bisese, vice president for student affairs. “It is incredible how we have continued to attract more regional and national attention.”

The announcement of Richmond’s inclusion in this list coincides with "The Campaign for Richmond: Fulfilling the Promise," which culminated in 2014. The campaign’s purpose was to fulfill Richmond’s potential by giving students access to resources that would benefit them as they begin and continue their professional careers, whether those resources be an enhanced career services office or summer fellowship funds.

In fact, the announcement of the Richmond Guarantee this past fall caught national attention with the promise that all traditional undergraduate students are guaranteed funding of up to $4,000 for summer research or internship experience before they graduate. In 2014 alone, Richmond awarded more than $1 million in fellowships to approximately 300 students for this very purpose.

“I worked in a Philadelphia film office for the last three months of summer,” sophomore Timothy Rueter said. Rueter, who received a Summer Fellowship after applying for one in the spring of his freshman year, said he “definitely wouldn’t have had as many doors opened as he does now had he not received this fellowship fund.”

In a campaign video for the Richmond Promise, President Ed Ayers said: “I like to think the Richmond Promise is not just a one-time accomplishment but really the foundation for everything that will come from now on. What comes next will build on that, it will bring us to new heights.”

Contact reporter Carney Judge at carney.judge@richmond.edu