FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (3/28/06)
Contact: Contact: Jeanne Krier, Princeton Review Books, 212-539-1350, jeannek@aol.com or Lynn Stewart or Kelsey Johnson, Centenary News Service, 318-869-5120 or 841-7265, lstewart@centenary.edu

Princeton Review Includes Centenary College in its America's Best Value Colleges: 2007

Centenary College of Louisiana is included in a new book released today, America's Best Value Colleges: 2007 Edition, which lists 150 colleges and universities. The following news release is from Princeton Review Books.

AMERICA'S BEST VALUE COLLEGES: 2007 EDITION

· Profiles 150 Colleges Offering Great Education at Relatively Low Cost
· Names "Top 10 Best Value Public Colleges" and "Top 10 Best Value Private Colleges"
· Advice on Getting into the Schools and Getting Financial Aid from Them

College Cost Facts: The average cost to attend a public college or university for four years is now $48,500. At a private college, it's $116,000. At highly selective schools, it's about $160,000. That's for tuition, fees, room and board, and that's if sticker prices don't go up over the next three years. Odds are they will. Tuition and fees soared 7.1 percent this year at public four-year colleges. At privates, they jumped 5.9 percent.*

With college costs going through the roof (and some parents mortgaging the house to pay them), many families are shopping for schools that are bargains. But identifying them isn't simple. That's why The Princeton Review in 2004 created its annual guidebook, AMERICA’S BEST VALUE COLLEGES, now out in the 2007 Edition (Random House / Princeton Review, March 28, 2006, $18.95 paperback).

Based on data The Princeton Review obtained from administrators at 646 colleges and surveys it conducted of students attending them, the new 2007 edition recommends 150 colleges offering excellent academics, generous financial aid packages and relatively low costs. It has three-page profiles on the colleges, advice on getting into the schools and getting financial aid from them, and ranking lists naming the book's "Top 10 Best Value Public Colleges" (New College of Florida in Sarasota is #1) and "Top 10 Best Value Private Colleges" (Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, is #1).

Says Robert Franek, VP-Publishing, The Princeton Review, “We use over 30 factors to rate the colleges in four categories: Academics, Tuition GPA (sticker price minus average amount students receive in gift aid scholarships and grants), Financial Aid (how well colleges meet students' financial need), and Student Borrowing.

The 150 schools that met our criteria for this edition include 103 public and 47 private colleges in 40 states. They range from large state universities to small, liberal arts colleges, and include little-known gems, specialty schools, and some colleges that are tuition-free."

The three-page Centenary College profile in the book covers:
• “About Centenary” – an overview on the school’s distinctive characteristics, location, campus scene, and student body and faculty demographics
• “Getting In” – details about admission requirements, plus The Princeton Review’s inside word on what its admission officers look for
• “Bang for Your Buck” – information on the school’s financial aid and scholarship awarding programs, policies, and record
• “What do Graduates Do?” – a review of career and employment patterns among the school’s
graduates, information about its Career Center, and companies that recruit on campus
• “The Bottom Line” – a report on the average out-of-pocket costs students (or their parents) pay for the degree, plus stats on the average debt load of graduating seniors
• “Students Say” – first-hand comments from students The Princeton Review surveyed at the school
• “Fun Facts” – interesting extras: the school’s motto, most popular majors, unique traditions, student events, or on-campus attractions, such as a museum

AMERICA'S BEST VALUE COLLEGES also includes general advice on applying to colleges, getting in to them, and finding funding for them. Its first 60 pages discuss: factors to consider when choosing a college; “Paying for College 101” (a crash course on applying for financial aid), and "What Colleges Want" (an insider look at how admission officers evaluate applicants). The book is one of over 200 books developed by The Princeton Review** and published by Random House. The line also includes Paying for College Without Going Broke, Best 361 Colleges and several additional college guides, plus guides to college admission and placement exams, grad schools and grad school admission tests, and books on careers.

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Available for interviews in New York: Robert Franek, VP-Publishing / The Princeton Review. Editorial Director of all of the company's college guides, and a former college admissions officer, Robert is often sourced by media on college topics and has guested on NBC “Today,” CBS “Early Show,” CNN "Headline News," NPR “All Things Considered" and other programs.

AMERICA’S BEST VALUE COLLEGES: 2007 EDITION
by Eric Owens, Tom Meltzer and the Staff of The Princeton Review
Random House / Princeton Review • Trade paperback $18.95 (Canada $26.95)
March 28, 2006 • 533 pages • ISBN 0-375-76522-0

*According to The College Board “Trends in College Pricing” survey reported October 2005.
**The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com) is a New York City-based company known for its test-prep courses, books and education services. It is not affiliated with Princeton University or ETS. For information about The Princeton Review, contact Public Relations Director Harriet Brand at 212-874-8282 ext. 1091, HarrietB@review.com.

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