Aug 21, 2012 - Claremont, Calif. -

Harvey Mudd College has been named one of the country's top undergraduate institutions in The Princeton Review's 2013 college guide, "The Best 377 Colleges."

HMC ranked No. 6 in the  "Professors Get High Marks" category, and No. 9 in "Students Study the Most." The rankings are based on a survey of 122,000 students who rated their colleges in dozens of categories and reported on their campus experience, including topics such as academics, accessibility of professors, financial aid and campus food.

In addition, HMC was named a "Best Value College," one of only 150 private and public colleges to be recognized by The Princeton Review for providing "stellar academics with a modest price tag."

The Princeton Review, an educational services company, selected the 377 colleges --about 15% of America's 2,500 four-year colleges--to profile in the 2013 edition. The guide includes descriptions of each college with scores in eight main categories, including academics, campus life and selectivity. The guide also includes lists of the top 20 schools in 62 categories ranging from quality of professors to dorm food. All rankings are based on The Princeton Review's surveys of students attending the colleges.

In the Princeton Review profile, students surveyed praised HMC professors for being both brilliant and accessible. "Most of them know my name and will stop to talk any time," a student reported. "Lectures and office hours are amazing! Professors really want you to understand the material."

Students also stated that while the academics at HMC were rigorous, they felt strong support from professors and the student body. A survey respondent wrote, "The academic experience is heightened by the students...who act cooperatively rather than competitively to conquer the material rather than each other."

The listing described HMC as an excellent program in the sciences and engineering with strong undergraduate research opportunities and a very high percentage of students who go to graduate school. Among the student comments were that HMC offers "a personalized education that you can't get at a larger technical school."

 "Each of our 377 best colleges offers outstanding academics," said Robert Franek, the book's author and Princeton Review Senior VP / Publisher. "We don't rank them 1 to 377, because they differ widely in their program offerings and campus culture, and that is their strength. Instead, we tally lists of the top 20 schools in 62 categories based entirely on what students at these schools tell us about their campus experiences.  Our goal is not to crown one college 'best' overall, but to help applicants find and get in to the college best for them." 

View The Princeton Review's 2013 "377 Best Colleges"