Princeton Review's annual rankings are based on surveys of 143,000 students at 381 top colleges. Nine New Jersey colleges made the list of top schools.
NEWARK -- New Jersey Institute of Technology students have a low opinion of their professors, according to Princeton Review's new rankings.
The college guide released its 25th annual college rankings Monday, including more than 60 lists on everything from the biggest party schools to the colleges with the best food and best athletic facilities.
NJIT, the public university in Newark, topped the "Professors get low marks" list, a ranking of colleges where students like their professors the least. NJIT was followed by the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Stevens Institute of Technology, the University of Hawaii-Manoa and State University of New York - Stony Brook.
3 N.J. colleges among most gay-friendly in U.S.
The rankings are based on surveys of 143,000 students at 381 top colleges, Princeton Review officials said.
"We base our 62 ranking lists entirely on what the colleges' customers, their enrolled students, report to us on our surveys. As such, they provide unique insights into the campus cultures, aid offerings, services, and student body communities at these schools. In the end, it's all about the fit," said Robert Franek, the lead author of the book and senior vice president and publisher of Princeton Review.
NJIT officials responded to the ranking by saying the research university has a difficult curriculum and produces top graduates.
"As one of only 32 polytechnic universities nationally, our curriculum can be quite challenging. The results -- an average of nearly three job offers in hand by graduation with average starting salaries that exceed the national average by roughly 18 percent -- speak to the quality of education and preparation our students receive," said Denise Anderson, NJIT's associate vice president.
Some colleges criticize the Princeton Review's annual lists, which are based solely on student opinion surveys. Other schools highlight the lists in their marketing materials if they rank highly.
New Jersey colleges appeared on at least 30 lists this year, including "Is it Food?" (bad dining halls), "Election? What Election?" (low political interest among students), "This is a Library?" (low-rated library facilities) and "Town-Gown Relations are Great" (interactions between the college and the local community).
Rutgers University, the state's largest school, was the only New Jersey college to appear on Princeton Review's list of top 381 schools without appearing on any of the other ranked lists.
Here are the New Jersey colleges that made Princeton Review's list of the "Best 381 Colleges" and where they ranked on various national lists:
Drew University
Best College Theater (#7)
Lots of Race/ Class Interaction (#8)
Is it Food? (#10)
Best College Radio Station (#14)
LGBTQ-Friendly (#18)
Monmouth University
Election? What Election? (#4)
Students Study the Least (#10)
NJIT
Professors Get Low Marks (#1)
College City Gets Low Marks (#2)
Least Happy Students (#2)
Least Beautiful Campus (#3)
Administrators Get Low Marks (#4)
Town-Gown Relations are Strained (#6)
Least Accessible Professors (#9)
This is a Library? (#9)
Princeton University
Great Financial Aid (#2)
Best College Library (#14)
Rider University
Students Study the Least (#15)
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Not ranked on any lists
Seton Hall University
Financial Aid Not So Great (#19)
Stevens Institute of Technology
Professors Get Low Marks (#3)
College City Gets High Marks (#9)
This is a Library? (#12)
Town-Gown Relations are Great (#12)
Students Most Engaged in Community Service (#19)
The College of New Jersey
Their Students Love These Colleges (#6)
Most Beautiful Campus (#7)
Best Career Services (#12)
Happiest Students (#13)
Best Health Services (#15)
Lots of Race/ Class Interaction (#19)
Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find NJ.com on Facebook.