The Wagner College Theatre program was also ranked No. 3 in the "Best 381 Colleges" guide.
Wagner College was named one of America's best colleges in the Princeton Review's 2017 "Best 381 Colleges" guide.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Wagner College was named one of America's best colleges in the Princeton Review's list of 2017 "Best 381 Colleges" guide, released Monday.
The Wagner College Theatre program was also ranked No. 3 in the nation.
Only about 15 percent of America's 2,500 four-year colleges are profiled in the "Best 381 Colleges" book, which is the Princeton Review's flagship college guide.
It includes detailed profiles of the selected colleges, in alphabetical order, with rating scores for all schools in various categories, based on the Princeton Review's surveys of students attending the colleges.
In its overall profile on Wagner College, this year's guide quotes extensively from students.
Wagner students describe the college as a "tight-knit and fun, yet academically challenging" liberal arts school.
They cited its suburban campus atop Grymes Hill and its proximity to New York City, and the school's "learn by doing" policy that gets students off campus and into the community.
The school is "in the perfect location with a surplus of unique resources" and is composed of "an excellent and vibrant community that supports its students every step of the way."
Students said Wagner "lets you experience all different types of subjects by following the concept: learning by doing."
THEATER PROGRAM LAUDED
Wagner College Theatre was ranked No. 3 among collegiate theater programs in America.
Wagner finished behind Muhlenberg and Sarah Lawrence -- and ahead of Bennington, Bard, Fordham, Columbia, the University of Chicago and Brown, among others.
Wagner College Theatre has been ranked among the top 5 collegiate theater programs in the United States by the Princeton Review for more than a decade.
The department, created in 1968, has a long list of distinguished alumni, from Tony Award winner Randy Graff (Class of 1976) to "Jersey Boys" film star Renee Marino (Class of 2004).
"Wagner College's tradition of doing theater, particularly musical theater, clearly remains strong," said department chair Felicia Ruff.
"We take pride in our work on stage and in the classroom, but we are even prouder of our community, which is united by our belief in the importance of live performance," Ruff said.
"Our ranking is a well-deserved endorsement of our excellent faculty and the values they teach, but it is also evidence of the power of storytelling to impact our culture, especially our campus culture."