Student voices play key role in UH Mānoa’s recognition among nation’s best

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Marc Arakaki, (808) 829-0750
Spokesperson/Content Producer, UH Communications
Posted: Aug 13, 2025


​​Link to video of UH Mānoa broll: https://bit.ly/3H17jBD 

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The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is one of the nation’s best colleges and universities, according to The Princeton Review’s 2026 edition of “The Best 391 Colleges” guide, released on August 12.

The rankings are solely based on its surveys of college students about their schools. The schools included in the “The Best 391 Colleges” of 2026 are not ranked from No. 1–No. 389, and feature the top approximately 15% of four-year colleges in the U.S.

In addition, The Princeton Review placed UH Mānoa as one of the top 79 colleges in the west.

“What makes this recognition especially meaningful is that it’s based on our students’ own experiences,” said UH Mānoa Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos. “Their voices reflect the vibrant learning environment, strong sense of community and unique opportunities they find at UH Mānoa.”

In October 2024, The Princeton Review also named UH Mānoa one of the nation’s top “green” colleges, which recognizes the most environmentally responsible schools.

High marks for law school

The William S. Richardson School of Law has been ranked No. 1 for Most Diverse Faculty in The Princeton Review’s “Best Law Schools for 2025” rankings. This national recognition underscores the strength of the law school’s faculty and its ongoing commitment to excellence in legal education rooted in Hawaiʻi’s unique history, values and place in the Pacific.

The UH law school was also named No. 5 Best for State and Local Clerkships and No. 5 Most Chosen By Older Students, further affirming its reputation for meaningful career preparation and support across a wide range of student backgrounds and goals.

The Princeton Review evaluates more than 60 data points, including institutional data and student survey responses, to compile its annual Best Law Schools lists.

More about ‘The Best 391 Colleges’

The Princeton Review collected 170,000 surveys of students at the schools in The Best 391 Colleges (about 435 per school on average). The surveys were conducted in 2024–25 and/or the previous two academic years. The 98-question survey asked students to rate their professors, administrators, financial aid, campus amenities, school services and other aspects of life at their colleges on a five-point scale, and to report on their experiences at them.

“The colleges we profile in our ‘Best Colleges’ book are a truly select group. They constitute only about 15% of America’s nearly 2,400 four-year institutions,” said Rob Franek, editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review and the book’s lead author. “While they vary by locale, type, size and campus culture, each one offers its students an academically outstanding undergraduate education. In our opinion, they are the nation’s best undergraduate colleges and ideal choices for students seeking their ‘best-fit’ college. The colleges that make our ranking lists do so entirely as a result of their own students’ opinions of them.”

Recent rankings

UH Mānoa also received these notable rankings:

 

VO SCRIPT

INTRO:

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is getting high marks from its own students.

VO:

UH Mānoa is listed among the nation’s best in The Princeton Review’s 2026 “Best 391 Colleges.”

The list is based entirely on student surveys and covers the top 15% of four-year colleges in the country.

UH Mānoa also made the top 79 in the West.

The law school earned special honors, ranking first in the nation for most diverse faculty.

It also landed in the top five for state and local clerkships, and for serving older students.

Leaders say the rankings reflect a vibrant campus community and unique opportunities found only at UH.