A guide to the college guides: What they say about Centre

RELEASED: May 29, 2008

DANVILLE, KY—What kind of school is Centre? While the College is more than happy to be telling its story via viewbooks, brochures, Web stories, bumper stickers and billboards, there are tons of "third parties" who also sing Centre's praises. U.S. News & World Report ranks Centre at No. 44 among national liberal arts colleges, by far the highest national ranking of any Kentucky college or university. Consumers Digest ranks Centre as the greatest value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. And a host of guidebooks gives Centre rave reviews. Below is a sampling:

"No university faculty compares with Centre's in the impact it has on the growth of young minds and personalities."
—Colleges That Change Lives

"Many schools offer opportunities for major-related internships and study abroad. Few, however, guarantee both. Centre College, a small liberal arts school in Kentucky, does. Under the 'Centre Commitment,' Centre not only ensures an internship and international study, it also guarantees graduation in four years and offers up to an additional year of tuition-free study to those who cannot graduate on time."
—Princeton Review Best 361 Colleges

"Centre College is the only independent school in Kentucky with a Phi Beta Kappa Chapter, and it’s produced two-thirds of the state’s Rhodes Scholars over the last 40 years… Its liberal arts focus means that… students are progressive, intellectual, and perhaps more well-rounded than their peers at neighboring schools… [Centre has] a safe, bucolic campus, an emphasis on academic excellence, and faculty and students who care about forming lasting friendships with each other."
—Fiske Guide to Colleges

"The 'accessible' and 'really amazing' professors at Centre have a high proportion of Ph.D.s, but are also known for the personal attention that they give to students. There is a general sentiment that the classes at Centre are hard, but the 'many new outlooks on life' that students receive makes the schoolwork worthwhile."
—Insider's Guide to the Colleges

"Walking around its beautiful campus, whose majestic trees look like they have been there since the college was founded in 1819, one would imagine a community twice the size. At one end of its architectural spectrum are historic landmark gems from the 1800s. At the other, modern end is a lovely structure that Centre claims is the finest art center in the nation for a college its size. Indeed, a university would be proud to have it. It was designed by The Taliesin Associated Architects, the firm of Frank Lloyd Wright's students."
—Colleges That Change Lives

"Centre alumni are extraordinarily loyal (perhaps because they're also extraordinarily successful). Year after year, the percentage of alumni who find it in their hearts to contribute to the old alma mater is among the highest of all undergraduate institutions in the U.S. All of this support from past graduates allows Centre to offer generous scholarships and financial aid, and to keep tuition and other charges reasonably low. The amount of need-based financial aid and the number of merit scholarships here easily make Centre one of the most generous national liberal arts colleges around."
—Princeton Review America's Best Value Colleges

As far as the overall experience, it's amazing. Merging a great social scene with academics yields rounded individuals who are smart and fun. Centre is a place that takes away all the boring parts of high school but keeps all the spirit and fun…[It's an experience] that you'll appreciate, at least a little, every day, and each year is a little sadder because it's one year less you will have lived in a community of endless support and lifetime friends. It's the priceless experience."
—College Prowler: Off the Record

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.