College students consider the University of Iowa the nation's best party school according to the Princeton Review.
While Iowa nabbed the top ranking Monday on a list determined by 126,000 students in a nationwide survey, the University of Texas at Austin ranked 15th on the list.
The organization also released its "stone-cold sober schools" list -- led again this year by Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah; and followed by Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. No Texas institutions made the top 20.
The rankings are based on surveys in which an average of 333 students per campus are asked 80 questions about a range of subjects in the last three school years. Its methodology uses a five-point scale, allowing for school-to-school comparisons.
But the No. 1 spot seems out of step with national data released this year showing fewer Hawkeyes are drinking and engaging in high-risk drinking. The percentage of Iowa students who reported drinking in the last 30 days (75 percent) was the lowest in 20 years of studies, even if it was above the national average.
The Princeton Review senior vice president Robert Franek said its lists are based completely on students' opinions, and that Iowa's ranking does not diminish the Review's "great respect" for the school's academics or progress it's made regarding alcohol issues on campus.
The privately held education services company has published "The Best 378 Colleges" book annually since 1992. It includes 62 lists, such as the best-run college -- Claremont McKenna College in California -- and best college library -- Columbia University in New York City.
Top 20 Party Schools
Rank | School | City |
1. | University of Iowa | Iowa City, Iowa |
2. | University of California, Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, Calif. |
3. | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Urbana, Ill. |
4. | West Virginia University | Morgantown W. Va. |
5. | Syracuse University | Syracuse, N.Y. |
6. | University of Florida | Gainesville, Fla. |
7. | Ohio University | Athens, Ohio |
8. | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison, Wis. |
9. | Penn State University | University Park, Pa. |
10. | Lehigh University | Bethlehem, Pa. |
11. | University of Georgia | Athens, Ga. |
12. | Florida State University | Tallahassee, Fla. |
13. | DePauw University | Greencastle, Ind. |
14. | University of Mississippi | University, Miss. |
15. | University of Texas at Austin | Austin, Texas |
16. | Miami University of Ohio | Oxford, Ohio |
17. | University of Maryland | College Park, Md. |
18. | Tulane University | New Orleans, La. |
19. | University of Vermont | Burlington, Vt. |
20. | University of Oregon | Eugene, Ore. |
Top 20 Sober Schools
Rank | School | City |
1. | Brigham Young University | Provo, Utah |
2. | Wheaton College | Wheaton, Ill. |
3. | College of the Ozarks | Point Lookout, Mo. |
4. | Thomas Aquinas College | Santa Paula, Calif. |
5. | U.S. Military Academy | West Point, N.Y. |
6. | Grove City College | Grove City, Pa. |
7. | Wesleyan College | Macon, Ga. |
8. | U.S. Coast Guard Academy | New London, Conn. |
9. | U.S. Naval Academy | Annapolis, Md. |
10. | Calvin College | Grand Rapids, Mich. |
11. | City University of New York-Brooklyn College | Brooklyn, N.Y. |
12. | City University of New York-City College | New York City |
13. | City University of New York-Queens College | Flushing, N.Y. |
14. | Mills College | Oakland, Calif. |
15. | Agnes Scott College | Atlanta/Decatur, Ga. |
16. | Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering | Needham, Mass. |
17. | California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, Calif. |
18. | Simmons College | Boston |
19. | Wellesley College | Wellesley, Mass. |
20. | Xavier University of Louisiana | New Orleans |
Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis., and David Mercer in Champaign, Ill., contributed to this report.