The Princeton Review has included UNCG in its 2010 edition of "The Best 371 Colleges," a distinction received by only about 15 percent of the nation's four-year colleges.

"UNCG is pleased to be recognized by our students as a 'best college,'" said UNCG Chancellor Linda P. Brady. "This honor reflects our commitment to student learning and success inside and outside of the classroom. Our faculty and staff believe in putting students first."

The guide quotes students who praise UNCG for its great teachers, networking opportunities with businesses, internship placements, adult student support and numerous cultural events.

"There are wonderful concerts and plays and lectures here," a student said. "It's a great cultural center, and you can always have something to do as long as you look for it."

The guide surveyed 122,000 students (about 325 per campus on average) attending the 371 colleges. The 80-question survey asked students to rate their schools and report on their campus experiences.

In a sidebar to each college's profile, the book lists topics the surveyed students frequently agreed on. UNCG students gave the university high marks for student diversity, relations with the local community and student happiness.

Other North Carolina schools in the guide include Catawba College, Davidson College, Duke University, Elon University, Guilford College, N.C. State University, UNC Asheville, UNC Chapel Hill, Wake Forest University and Warren Wilson College.

"Each of our 371 'best' colleges offers great academics," says Robert Franek, a Princeton Review vice president. "However, we don't rank schools academically because our goal is to help students find and get into the best school for them."

Princeton Review, a New York City-based company best known for its test preparation courses, education services and books, issued its first "Best Colleges" guide in 1992. The book is published by Random House.