The Princeton Review names UW-Eau Claire to its 2026 list of best colleges

For its "2026 Best Colleges: Region by Region" web feature, The Princeton Review acknowledged 631 colleges in seven zones — Northeast, South, Southwest, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, West and International — colleges outside of the U.S. that they consider "academically outstanding and well worth consideration in your college search."

There are 150 colleges named on the unranked list for the top colleges in the Midwest region. UW-Eau Claire is one of only four regional comprehensive universities in Wisconsin and Minnesota to make the list and one of seven public schools named among the 24 campuses in the two states. 

The Princeton Review list is based completely on student survey results.

Student surveys from this year included the following remarks: 

• UW-Eau Claire is "a close-knit campus" where "dedicated and helpful faculty are experts in their fields."
• Often called "Wisconsin's most beautiful campus," UW-Eau Claire "feels like a private school setting, an enclosed campus footprint surrounded by woods with a river running through the middle."
• Even some seniors elect to stay in residence halls, describing "amazing dorm life that is very community-based."
• An education vision that strongly promotes enriching out-of-the-classroom experiences elicits comments touting the "many study abroad programs," the "astounding graduate-level research opportunities open to hundreds of undergrads each year" and more than 200 student organizations that offer social life, leadership opportunities and "easy ways to find your niche at UWEC."