Rhodes College is one of the nation’s “Best Value Colleges” for 2022, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company chose only 209 schools out of the more than 650 institutions it surveyed last academic year after analyzing data that included academic rigor, cost/financial aid, career services, student debt, graduation rate, and career outcomes for alumni.
Although the full list of the 209 Best Value Colleges is not ranked hierarchically from 1 to 209, The Princeton Review did rank the public and private schools in various categories. Among private schools, Rhodes made the Top 50 Best Value Colleges and Top 20 Best Schools for Internships.
“The schools we chose as our Best Value Colleges for 2022 are a select group: they comprise only about 7 percent of the nation’s four-year undergraduate institutions,” said Rob Franek, editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review. “We commend their administrators, faculties, staff, and alumni for all they are doing to educate their students and guide them to success in their careers. These colleges are also exceptional for the generous amount of financial aid they award to students with need and/or for their comparatively low cost of attendance.”
The Rhodes experience combines the best of the classroom and opportunities through internships, service, and research in Memphis and far beyond, which also gives Rhodes students an advantage in applying to graduate and professional programs. Rhodes alumni consistently report long-term benefits, lifelong employability, and career advancement because of their education.
"Nearly three-quarters of our students participate in internships, gaining real-world work experience while building their professional networks,” says Dr. Katherine Bassard, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Memphis opens up many opportunities for our students at places such as FedEx, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Shelby Farms. Beyond the city, our Career Services team does a terrific job of partnering students with regional and national employers and connecting them with our thriving alumni network.”
“Through the Rhodes College Internship Program, students are able to apply classroom theories and knowledge in more than 100 sites throughout Memphis and the world,” adds Sandi George Tracy, director of Career Services. “Students gain valuable experience and mentorship as they work alongside doctors, lawyers, business leaders, nonprofit executives, and government officials. In return, students enhance their professional skills and confidence as they look to future employment or advanced educational opportunities.”
Diana Comes ’08, executive director of the Community Legal Center based in Memphis, recently attended an employer appreciation luncheon held on campus, and says, “We are very impressed by the high quality of Rhodes students we’ve worked with.”
What do Rhodes students offer that is unique? “Creativity, a high work ethic, and stick-to-itiveness,” says Comes.
Rhodes College also is profiled in the 30th anniversary and 2022 edition of The Princeton Review’s college guide, The Best 387 Colleges.