Strong return on investment propels Drew to eighth straight year on exclusive list
September 2026 – Drew University has made The Princeton Review’s highly-selective Best Value Colleges list for the eighth straight year.
The ranking is based on the publication’s Return on Investment (ROI) metric in analysis of student surveys and 40-plus data points covering academics, affordability, and career services.
Inclusion in The Princeton Review’s Best Value College ranking is just one of several such value-based accolades this rankings season.
In the last several weeks, Washington Monthly ranked Drew in the top 10 percent of northeastern colleges for outcomes, and U.S. News & World Report placed Drew 81st in the country for best value.
Notably, the publications have intentionally differing methodologies for compiling their rankings. Despite weighing distinct metrics, their verdicts were the same: Drew is a top value.
“Students and their families choose Drew because they see a meaningful return on their investment,” said Ellen Johnson, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategic Communications. “At Drew, value and affordability is about more than scholarships and financial aid. It’s about making a high-quality education, a powerful community, and pathways to personal and career success accessible to more students.”
Just like rankings lists, for students, value can mean a number of things.
For some, it is linked to cost, boosted by Drew’s history of scholarships and providing educational opportunities to a diverse community of learners, including Pell-eligible students. Case in point—Drew ranked sixth in the country in U.S. News’ social mobility ranking this year, the third straight year in the top 10, and in the top six percent in Washington Monthly’s Pell-eligible graduation gap metric.
For others value is tied to the return on investment, with a focus on their post-graduation careers.
“Perhaps the greatest testament to the opportunities Drew provided me is that I was admitted to several prestigious graduate programs, including Harvard, Columbia, and Georgetown,” said Priscila Quinteros C’26, who is currently attending the Harvard Graduate School of Education. “The mentorship I received at Drew helped transform my aspirations into accomplishments and gave me the confidence to pursue opportunities that once seemed beyond my reach.”
After accepting admission to Johns Hopkins University’s Master’s in Geography and Environmental Engineering program, Andzani Mthenjane C’26 put her Drew experience succinctly: “I would summarize my time at Drew in three words: Remarkable. Growth. Launchpad.”
Pim van Hilten C’26, G’27 took Drew’s value literally, opting into its 4+1 Dual-Degree program in finance, allowing him to fast track earning both undergraduate and advanced degrees, saving both time and money, while also securing an internship at Ernst & Young in New York City. “(Drew) is a special place where you can get the absolute most out of your experience if you are willing to take advantage of everything it offers. I have seen both myself and my friends grow into people who are ready to take on the real world.”
