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UND students' partying habits didn't land their school on a list in this year's Princeton Review college rankings.
But their study habits did.
For the second year in a row, the Review ranked UND No. 1 among colleges where students surveyed report they study the least. In 2009, UND ranked No. 5 in that category.
Peter Johnson, spokesperson for UND, said the survey result needs to be understood in context of UND's undergraduate education process.
Students taking the survey may not have included certain kinds of studying in their answers, Johnson said.
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"A number of our students engage in research with faculty members," he said. "This is not typical at other institutions."
Students often don't think of research and other types of experiential learning as "studying," Johnson said.
Steven Light, associate provost for undergraduate education, said UND's extracurricular offerings prepare students for classes but are not considered traditional studying.
Schools rounding out the top five on the list are Salisbury University (Md.), the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa, the University of Central Florida, Orlando and the University of South Florida, Tampa.
UND appeared on no other Princeton Review lists this year. In 2010, UND was ranked No. 19 among schools with professors who are least accessible.
Two years ago, UND was also ranked No. 15 for students who drink the most alcohol and No. 18 among party schools.
'A grain of salt'
The Princeton Review rankings were compiled from surveys taken by more than 122,000 students in the United States and Canada.
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After the surveys are completed, the Princeton Review asks students to evaluate the information published about their schools for accuracy and validity. Eighty-three percent of students found their school's profile extremely or very accurate last year, according to the Review.
Johnson said the Princeton Review rankings should be "taken with more than a grain of salt."
He and Light said they believe the National Survey of Student Engagement administered to freshmen and seniors at UND every other academic year most accurately measures student study habits and overall engagement with learning.
"Students are spending a significant amount of time preparing for their classes," Light said, noting that two-thirds of the participants in the last survey reported spending 11 hours to more than 30 hours each week in preparation.
Best in the Midwest
The Princeton Review again ranked UND among the 376 best colleges in the country and placed it on the list of Best Midwestern Colleges.
Two other North Dakota colleges, Jamestown College and Mayville State University, also found a place among the 153 schools on the Best Midwestern list.
UND and NDSU also found places on this year's Forbes list of America's Top Colleges.
