September 10, 2024 — Marist has once again been selected in The Princeton Review’s 2025 Edition of best colleges in the nation. The annual list recognizes the top 390 colleges and universities across the country and lauds Marist for its academic programs, dedication of faculty, vibrant campus life, and status as one of the best higher education destinations in the Northeast.

Notably, this year’s survey also characterizes Marist students as among the happiest anywhere in the United States. The Princeton Review ranks Marist #8 overall in the nation for student happiness—a testament to the vibrant and supportive community that thrives on campus.

The rankings are based on surveys from 168,000 students across the 390 colleges, covering academics, campus life, fellow students, and personal experiences. 

Students say the sense of community, dedicated faculty, and study abroad opportunities are just some of the things that make them happy at Marist. Photo by Carlo de Jesus/Marist College.

Whether it’s the small daily acts of generosity, the contagious school spirit that echoes through campus each year, or the personal attention of devoted faculty members, the many positive attributes of Marist’s campus contribute to this accolade. 

“At Marist I'm happy being in a good community, being around my friends, having good professors, and just having positive experiences so far,” said Trevor McCormick '25, a digital advertising major.

“I'm really happy that Marist has so many awesome study abroad opportunities and more so that I'm able to study abroad twice which is really unique compared to other schools,” said Veronica Vogelman '26, a psychology and Spanish major. “I get to change my life in really cool different ways and see the world.”

"The community here is so great and everyone is so nice -- you walk by anyone and you'll get people smiling at you. Everyone is really friendly so that makes me really happy," said fashion design student Breanna Abshire '27.

Hear more from our students! Check out our video below where Red Foxes share what brings a smile to their faces.

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Happiness within the community can have important real-life impacts from academic and professional pursuits to social engagement.

“Happiness improves every single marker of achievement simply because it helps us to engage and be more grounded in the present moment.,” said Brian Loh, Senior Lecturer of Religious Studies.

“It helps people to build the relationships and support they need to thrive, and that in turn makes them feel more fulfilled and happier in a nice virtuous spiral.”

The complete lists from The Princeton Review can be viewed here.