Top 20 Party Schools

The Top 20 Party Schools 2021 according to the results of the Princeton Review survey:

  1. Univ. of Alabama

  2. Univ. of Delaware

  3. Syracuse University

  4. West Virginia

  5. Tulane University

  6. Univ. of Maine

  7. Union College

  8. Bucknell University

  9. Colgate University

  10. Wake Forest University (WFU)

  11. UC-Santa Barbara

  12. Elon University

  13. Univ. of Rhode Island

  14. Univ. of Wisconsin

  15. University of the South–Sewanee

  16. St. Lawrence University

  17. Univ. of Dayton

  18. UConn

  19. Florida State (FSU)

  20. Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Interesting & similar group of schools at #8, #9, & #10 (Bucknell, Colgate, & WFU). All are considered to be elite academic schools.

1 Univ. of Alabama & #16 St. Lawrence University offer a lot of merit scholarship awards.

Not sure, but #5 Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana may also offer merit scholarship money.

C’mon - No Penn St, UFlorida, Ohio State, Arizona / Arizona St, Wisconsin, UGeorgia. Never know what they base this stuff on but S goes to one of the schools listed and his school is way more tame than mine was in the 80s (state flagship). We literally had happy hours seven days per week from 4-7 pm and 10 - 1am every day at every bar downtown. Kids would line up around the block on a Tuesday afternoon. Nothing like that going on in Winston Salem.

AKA known as “colleges most likely to move to entirely online classes after spikes in COVID 19 in first week of the semester”…

According to Barstool Sports, the top 25 are (as of last year):

  1. WVU
  2. East Carolina
  3. Arizona State
  4. Dayton
  5. UMass (no word on which)
  6. Arizona
  7. Iowa
  8. Wisconsin
  9. Miami (OH)
  10. Tulane
  11. U. S. Carolina
  12. FL State
  13. Ohio U
  14. Kentucky
  15. Alabama
  16. Indiana
  17. U Georgia
  18. Queens U (only Canadian awardee)
  19. Penn State
  20. Plymouth State
  21. Ole Miss
  22. Depauw
  23. Coastal Carolina
  24. Binghampton
  25. UT Austin

Unsurprisingly, the usual suspects keep on popping up in all lists. Colleges such as UWV, Indiana, FL state, etc. There are ones which pop up on this list and on Niche which that are weirdly missing from the Princeton Review, like Arizona, Penn State, Miami Ohio, etc.

@rickle1 I was surprised to see that list, and looked up how they determine it…it is something to the effect of: students’ opinion on alcohol and substance use, how many hours they spend studying, and Greek life activities.

Mildly surprised that UNC-Wilmington isn’t on the list. Guess that the kids were too occupied to fill out the Princeton Review form.

Among the 20 schools listed, there is only one that I cannot “confirm”–and–somewhat surprisingly–it isn’t Indiana University of Pennsylvania as I “have been there and done that”.

@rickle1: Of course, these PR surveys are not scientific. Just a bit of fun. Regarding your post #2 above, the University of Wisconsin is on the list at #14.

The University of Georgia is social but also quite academic.

Penn State has had a recent crackdown.

ASU & Arizona are not on this list because, to the best of my knowledge and belief, PR limits the list to amateur activities.

BestColleges.com Top 25 Party Schools
1 Tulane University
2 University of Delaware
3 University of Georgia
4 West Virginia University
5 University of Wisconsin Madison
6 Bucknell University
7 Lehigh University
8 University of Texas at Austin
9 Florida State University
10 University of California Santa Barbara
11 University of Iowa
12 University of Colorado
13 University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana
14 Colgate University
15 Providence College
16 Indiana University at Bloomington
17 Syracuse University
18 University of Mississippi
19 University of Alabama
20 University of Maine
21 Southern Methodist University
22 University of Rhode Island
23 Pennsylvania State University
24 Michigan State University
25 University of Florida

Niche.com Top 20 Party Schools
1 University of Wisconsin
2 Tulane University
3 Florida State
4 Howard University
5 University of Illinois IC
6 University of Georgia
7 Syracuse
8 University of Alabama
9 West Virginia University
10 Penn State
11 University of Southern California
12 University of Iowa
13 Ohio University
14 Indiana University (Bloomington)
15 UCSB
16 Miami University (OH)
17 University Texas (Austin)
18 University of Mississippi
19 San Diego State University
20 Michigan State University
21 Southern Methodist University
22 University of Delaware
23 Vanderbilt
24 Clark Atlanta University
25 University of Miami

As @MWolf pointed out, it may be of interest to note which universities consistently rank on every list.

It may be of interest to see a list of schools known for not partying. In 2017, Financial Analyst Magazine released their Top 10 Colleges With Minimal Partying

10 US Naval Academy
9 Baruch College, City University of NYC
8 US Military Academy at West Point
7 Calvin College (MI)
6 Thomas Aquinas College (CA)
5 Gordon College (MA)
4 US Air Force Academy
3 Wheaton College (IL)
2 College of the Ozarks (MO)
1 BYU

I see Financial Analyst Magazine also released this list in 2019: Partying Is A Way Of Life At These 10 Colleges
10 University of Rhode Island
9 Bucknell University
8 Wake Forest University
7 Colgate University
6 UCSB
5 Tulane
4 West Virginia University
3 University of Delaware
2 University of Alabama
1 Syracuse

For each school, FA Magazine listed a supporting comment. Some quotes are below.
WFU: " The college ranked third in hard liquor consumption and sixth in beer drinking."
UCSB: “The only West Coast school on the list this year, the university ranked 10th in marijuana use. It also placed 18th for the happiness of its student body.”
Syracuse: "last named top party school in 2014, has been in the top 10 eight years in a row and placed fourth the past two years, according to the Syracuse.com news site. It ranked second in hard liquor consumption, eighth in beer consumption, 17th in Greek life and 19th in marijuana use.