Monmouth University is one of the nation’s academically best undergraduate institutions according to The Princeton Review. The education services company profiles Monmouth in the 2026 edition of its annual college guide, “The Best 391 Colleges” (Penguin Random House, 2025). This is Monmouth’s 21st straight year being featured in the publication.
“Monmouth University has outstanding academic programs and the feedback we received from its students we surveyed was very impressive,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief and lead author of “The Best 391 Colleges.” “We are delighted to name Monmouth University one of our Best Colleges for 2026 and to recommend it to students searching for their ‘best-fit’ college.”
Only about 15% of America’s nearly 2,400 four-year colleges are included in The Princeton Review guidebook. The company selected colleges based on its surveys of 2,000 college administrators about their institutions’ academic offerings. The company also reviewed data from its surveys of college students attending the schools who report on their experiences at their institutions.
Student feedback collected by The Princeton Review describes Monmouth’s environment as “an extremely diverse and integrated campus” where “many look to get involved, be a part of the student body, and find ways to encourage each other.” The profile also praises Monmouth for its transformative learning opportunities, including experiential education, service learning, and study abroad. The Centers of Distinction, as well as numerous conferences and panels, are also highlighted by students as opportunities to “engage with experts in their field, explore cutting-edge research and ideas, and network with professionals and peers.”
Additional student perspectives about the Monmouth experience consider its proximity to both city life and the beach as “the best of two worlds.” The profile notes that campus is “beautiful and the facilities are updated” while offering plenty of common spaces and popular dining spots. Faculty are also praised for being available and accommodating, with one student remarking, “My professors have allowed me to flourish… What I once thought was a dream career is within reach because of their efforts and engagement.”
Monmouth also scored a No. 23 ranking in the Best Radio Station category.
The Princeton Review does not rank the schools in “The Best 391 Colleges” hierarchically from 1 to 391; however, the publication contains 50 categories of ranking lists, each naming the top 25 schools (of those in the book) in a particular category. The rankings are entirely based on the company’s surveys of students attending the 391 profiled schools. Surveys of 170,000 students (about 435 per school on average) were tallied for the rankings in “The Best 391 Colleges.”
Monmouth appears on the ranking lists for Green Colleges and Best Northeast schools.
“The Best 391 Colleges” is one of more than 150 Princeton Review books in a line published by Penguin Random House. The book and its annual rankings have been featured on NBC TODAY more than two dozen times over the years and referenced by media from NPR to The Wall Street Journal and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Learn more about The Princeton Review’s ranking methodology and review the full catalog of its best schools of 2026.
The Princeton Review, founded in 1981, is an education services company known for its tutoring, test-prep, admission services, school rankings, books, and other resources. Headquartered in New York, NY, it is not affiliated with Princeton University, and it is not a magazine.