Where Scholarship and Spirit Meet: Gonzaga Among Nation’s Best in New Princeton Review Rankings

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Gonzaga students have serious school spirit.

In the new Princeton Review publication “The Best 391 Colleges: 2026 Edition,” Gonzaga once again landed at No. 1 in the list of “students who love their school teams.” But Zags aren’t satisfied with simply cheering from the sidelines; Gonzaga also landed at No. 14 on the list for schools where “everyone plays intramural sports.” Not bad for a school full of highly motivated, academic-minded students, ranking at No. 21 in the nation for schools where “students study the most.”

Amid the sea of college rankings vying to guide prospective students toward their ideal campus, the annual Princeton Review list stands out. Unlike many others, it draws its insights straight from the source — surveys filled out by the students who actually live, learn, and experience life at the schools. Princeton Review’s “Best Colleges” book has been published annually since 1992, and this year’s version is based on surveys of 170,000 students at nearly 2,000 colleges and universities.

“It’s always rewarding to see our students recognized by a national publication like the Princeton Review,” said Nate Mannetter, Gonzaga’s interim vice president for enrollment management.

Indeed, the recently released Princeton Review rankings reflect just that. Beyond cheering for the men’s and women’s Zags teams and participating in intramurals, the student survey respondents lauded Gonzaga as one of the schools “most engaged in community service” (No. 14 in the country). Other areas where Gonzaga landed among the Top 25 in the nation include “best health services” (No. 19) and the brand-new category of “most politically moderate students” (No. 24).

"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 Best 391 Colleges: 2026 Edition” is just one of Princeton Review’s rankings publications throughout the year, and Gonzaga was previously noted as one of the country’s “Green Colleges” for its sustainability efforts, and Gonzaga’s on-campus MBA program through the School of Business Administration in July was named in the Princeton Review’s “Best Business Schools.”

The 2026 results in “The Best 391 Colleges: 2026 Edition” are from surveys conducted during 2024-25, and information about the survey, ranking methodology, and basis for each category list can be found here. Find Princeton Review’s “The Best 391 Colleges: 2026 Edition” at princetonreview.com.