The Princeton Review ranked AU the "most politically active" college Aug. 2 as part of its annual Best 373 Colleges guide.
This is the third time AU has claimed the top honor since 2006. AU was previously ranked most politically active in 2006 and 2008. George Washington University topped the list in 2007 and 2009.
This year, GWU fell to fourth place. College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, claimed the second spot.
Student Government President Nate Bronstein hailed the top ranking, saying the distinction was a very accurate one for AU's student body.
"It shows precisely what we are. We're movers and shakers. We're loud," Bronstein said. "You see it in the way we treat our elections like Super Bowls."
AU's Director of Admissions, Greg Grauman, agreed.
"We should feel pride in this ranking," he said in an e-mail. "It is a recognition which reinforces what we have known for a long time about the students at AU. American University students are hard-working, intellectually curious individuals who are passionate about creating meaningful change in the world. I am pleased more prospective students will become of aware of our campus identity as a result of this ranking."
The rankings are determined by student surveys. An average of 325 students per campus participated in the 80-question, online survey. The overall rankings are based on the latest survey "and/or previous two school years," according to the Princeton Review's website.
AU also received high marks for its career services and its location in this year's survey. The AU Career Center was ranked 15 on the career services list, the fourth straight year it has placed in the top 20.
AU continues to see a rise in "best-fit" students, who are passionate about creating meaningful change in the world, not just students interested in studying political science, Grauman said.
eklapper@theeagleonline.com
