The University of Illinois has claimed a new top ranking, but not for its academics.
The Princeton Review named the university in Urbana-Champaign as the top party school in the country in its annual guide released Monday. The university also ranked high in other party-related categories, including "lots of beer" (No. 5), "lots of hard liquor" (No. 3) and "lots of Greek life" (No. 2).
Not all of the school's top rankings were related to partying, however. The University of Illinois also earned top spots in career services (No. 20), athletic facilities (No. 3) and "greenness" (No. 24).
This is the first year the University of Illinois claimed top party school status, but it has been in the top five many times before. Last year, the university ranked at No. 5, and in 2013, it came in at No. 3.
Perhaps the most famous party event involving university students is the annual "Unofficial" St. Patrick's Day celebration. Two years ago, Champaign Police issued 271 tickets during the event, most of them for underage drinking or public possession of alcohol. In addition, nearly 30 people were transported to hospitals by ambulance, and 15 people were taken to the county jail.
Meanwhile, Wheaton College in suburban Wheaton turned up on the "stone-cold sober" list at No. 3. This is a step down from last year when the college ranked No. 2 on the "sober" list.
The top party schools after the University of Illinois are the University of Iowa, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Bucknell University, Syracuse University, the University of California in Santa Barbara, West Virginia University, the University of Georgia, Tulane University and Colgate University.
