Southwestern University is again honored to be included in the Fiske Guide to Colleges, a best-selling guide to the top 320 universities throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and Ireland. Fully updated for its 36th edition, Fiske is considered one of the most authoritative sources for college-admission information by prospective students, their parents, and their guidance counselors.

One of 12 Texas schools selected, Southwestern is hailed as a “small and agile” school that “pursues a flexible and innovative brand of teaching and learning in a culture where the liberals arts are not always appreciated.” The guide highlights SU’s commitment to interdisciplinary and inquiry-based learning, with one anonymous senior stating, “We are constantly being challenged to take what we learn in class and apply it to more difficult problems.”

“We are constantly being challenged to take what we learn in class and apply it to more difficult problems.”

Among small colleges and universities, SU is recommended for providing exemplary academic programs in environmental studies and sociology. Students in the Sarofim School of Fine Arts specifically are noted as producing graduate-level creative work, and SU’s proximity to Austin is noted as a boon to both political science and STEM majors.

The guide’s systematic selection process is based on questionnaires completed by current students and administrators as well as campus visits and supplementary research conducted by the editorial staff. Each school profile spotlights useful details such as academics, social life, financial aid, campus environment, housing, dining, and extracurricular activities.

The Fiske Guide to Colleges was originally compiled and is still overseen today by Edward B. Fiske, who served as education editor of The New York Times for 17 years. Fiske’s other books include his Guide to Getting into the Right College and What to Do When for College.