SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford College is one of the nation’s best colleges for students seeking a superb education with great career preparation and at an affordable price, according to The Princeton Review (www.princetonreview.com).

The education services company features Wofford in the 2016 edition of its just-published book “Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give You the Best Bang for Your Tuition Buck” (Penguin Random House/Princeton Review Books). The company also posted the selected colleges’ profiles for the book on its website at www.princetonreview.com/colleges-pay-you-back.

The Princeton Review chose the institutions based on ROI (return on investment) ratings it tallied for 650 colleges and universities last year. The ratings weighted 40 data points that covered everything from academics, cost and financial aid to graduation rates, student debt, and alumni salaries and job satisfaction. The editors culled data from the company’s surveys of administrators and students in 2014-15 and from PayScale.com’s survey of alumni conducted through April 2015.

“To be included once again in this publication by a very prestigious name in education, The Princeton Review, is quite gratifying,” says Wofford President Nayef H. Samhat. “It shows how much we at Wofford value providing an excellent education that is affordable. Wofford has been recognized by other publications as being a best value in higher education, and the New York Times has ranked us as the top South Carolina institution that is doing the most for low-income students.” Samhat adds, “Wofford continues to be among the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country on the key issues that most concern families when it comes to higher education – access, diversity, quality and completion. Wofford’s extraordinary and transformational educational experience is accessible, socio-economically diverse, and we graduate superior students on time.”

The Princeton Review book highlights Wofford’s programs in preparing students for careers and graduate school after college. “Perhaps one of Wofford’s ‘greatest strengths is preparing … students for the business world,’” editors write. “The college ‘stresses the importance of internships and will do everything they can to help students in the job and graduate school application process.’”

Curt McPhail, executive director of The Space in the Mungo Center, Wofford’s professional development center, notes. “Wofford teaches students critical thinking and communications skills, then empowers them with opportunities for real-world experience, building on their liberal arts education. It’s what employers need and what graduate schools want. A Wofford graduate is prepared for what’s next. Ninety-four percent of the Class of 2014 was employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation.”

Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s senior vice president, publisher and lead author of the new book, says, “We highly recommend Wofford and all of our ‘Colleges That Pay You Back’ schools. They stand out not only for their outstanding academics but also for their affordability via comparatively low sticker prices and/or generous financial aid to students with need – or both. Students at these colleges also have access to extraordinary career services programs from their freshman year on, plus a lifetime of alumni connections and post-grad support.”

In the book’s profile of Wofford, the editors also praise the college for its “close-knit community” and “individualized attention.” It quotes students surveyed as noting Wofford’s “amazing study abroad program.” One student summed up his experiences: “(Wofford is) an exceptional liberal arts school that provides each student with a well-rounded education that prepares them for a successful future.”

In the fall of 2015, Wofford was featured among the best institutions for undergraduate education in The Princeton Review’s 2016 edition of its annual college guide, “The Best 380 Colleges.” Wofford consistently appears on this list as well as other well-regarded national college guides.