Princeton Review ranks Auburn University

as No. 1 for happiest students in the nation

CONTRIBUTED BY AU NEWS

AUBURN — Auburn

University, located in the “Loveliest Village on the Plains,” is also home to the happiest students in the nation, according to The Princeton Review’s 2025 rankings released this week.

Auburn ranked No. 1 nationally in the “happiest students” category as part of The Princeton Review’s annual “Best 390 Colleges” rankings list. Criteria for the rankings was based on data from surveys of 168,000 students at the 390 schools featured in the review. The student survey included 89 questions, asking students about their life at their university, their fellow students and themselves.

“At Auburn, we are firmly committed to an exceptional student experience. We want our campus to be a place where all students can thrive, and this ranking affirms that we are on the right track,” said Bobby Woodard, Auburn’s senior vice president for student affairs. “The student experience goes beyond academics. Our students benefit tremendously from opportunities to make meaningful connections, hone leadership skills and grow personally and professionally.”

Princeton Review also ranked Auburn second nationally for “Best Athletic Facilities,” fourth in the category of “Town-Gown Relations Are Great,” sixth for “Friendliest Students” and eighth for “Best Quality of Life.”

In addition to the Princeton Review rankings, the

2024 U.S. News and World Report rankings listed Auburn as the No. 1 university in Alabama and among the top 50 public universities in the nation. An annual list by Money noted Auburn as among the Best Colleges in America, and a 2024 Niche. com ranking named Auburn in the top 25 of colleges with the best student life in America. The Higher Education Research and Development Survey has listed Auburn among the nation’s top 11% of research institutions.