Knox College is rated by The Princeton Review as one of the best colleges, nationally and regionally, for both academic strength and campus life.

The Princeton Review announced this week that Knox is selected for the 2016 edition of the annual college guidebook, The Best 380 Colleges. Only about 15% of America's 2,500 four-year colleges are selected for the printed guidebook. 

The Princeton Review also picked Knox as one of the Best Midwestern Colleges. 

The primary factor in selection for The Best 380 Colleges is "outstanding academics," according to Robert Franek, senior vice president of The Princeton Review.

Knox's campus radio station, WVKC, continued its strong showing in a survey of student opinion, giving the station an 18th place ranking among the top 20 college broadcasters.

The publication includes both rankings and ratings. Rankings are based solely on student comments, while numerical ratings are based on data about each school along with comments from students.

At Knox, "admission standards are high, and prospective students are viewed both qualitatively and quantitatively," writes staff of The Princeton Review in its detail section on the College. "Three out of every four [firstyear students at Knox] were ranked in the top quarter of their high school classes."

Knox College's Ratings in The Princeton Review 2016 Edition, The Best 380 Colleges (maximum rating=99; how each rating is calculated.)

• Academics Overall -- 91 ("How hard students work and how much they get back for their efforts.")
• Admission Selectivity -- 87 ("How competitive admissions are at the school.")
• Interesting Professors -- 94 (Survey of student agreement with statement: "Your instructors are good teachers.")
• Accessible Professors -- 93 (Survey of student agreement with statement: "Your instructors are accessible outside the classroom.")
• Financial Aid -- 87 ("How much financial aid a school awards and how satisfied students are with that aid.")
• Green Campus -- 88 ("A comprehensive measure of a school's performance as an environmentally aware and prepared institution.")

Photos: Top, a student works in the lab section of a biochemistry class; above, classics students and professor Jason Nethercut, holding spring term class on the Gizmo Patio.