The Princeton Review and Sodexo Announce Strategic Research Partnership
Collaboration to Survey College Administrators on Campus Dining Operations, Practices, Feedback Systems, Student Engagement, and More
NEW YORK (March 20, 2026) — The Princeton Review®—one of the nation's leading and best-known education services companies and Sodexo—a global leader in food services and facilities management—today announced a collaborative research partnership.
The joint initiative is a year-long project designed to explore how campus dining operations and services influence—and can promote—student retention in higher education communities.
The key component of the project is a comprehensive survey of college administrators nationwide to be conducted by The Princeton Review. The institutional survey will collect data on dozens of topics from campus dining facility spaces and designs to food service operations, menu planning, and sustainability practices. Administrators will also be asked to report on their systems for dining service feedback, student support, engagement outreach, and other topics.
The survey findings will be published in the fall by both Sodexo and The Princeton Review. They will also be shared in a variety of ways over the year ahead including presentations at higher education and food service industry conferences, interactive forums, and campus workshops.
The project will be developed with guidance from an Advisory Board of higher education leaders including James Dwyer, Vice Chancellor for University Business Services, Washington University in St. Louis and Jude Kiah, Associate Vice Chancellor, CFO/Student Affairs, Texas Christian University and Ken Toong, Associate Vice Chancellor, Auxiliary Enterprises, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Other campus dining research Sodexo conducts includes its bi-annual Student Lifestyle Survey. This project gathers data directly from students and parents about various factors surrounding their campus experiences.
Their 2024–2025 survey report cited a 63% increase (over the 2022-2023 survey) in students who prioritize good dining options when choosing a college. It noted “Food is still the number one driver of campus engagement. Dining halls do more than just make it easy to grab a bite to eat.”
“At Sodexo, we see dining and campus spaces as essential to building community,” said Ron Guillory, President and COO, Sodexo Campus. “While being named to a ‘Best Dining’ list is indeed an honor, exploring the drivers behind such recognition is key to understanding its emotional and functional bases. This project is designed to identify actionable strategies for colleges to strengthen the powerful role of their dining operations as community catalysts for student engagement, retention, and long-term success.”
“We are delighted to join with Sodexo on this important project and we look forward to reporting our survey findings,” said Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief of The Princeton Review. Franek, who oversees the company's institutional and student surveys, noted “Campus amenities—including the top two: dining hall services and residence hall options—matter a lot to college applicants. Among nearly 10,000 applicants and their parents we polled for our 2026 College Hopes & Worries Survey, asking ‘What matters most in your college searches?’, 69% chose the answer ‘Campus Amenities’ as one of their top five decisive considerations.”
The Princeton Review, known for its tutoring, test-prep, and college and grad school admission services, has surveyed college administrators and students for more than 30 years. The company's editorial teams incorporate data from the surveys into the hundreds of school profiles The Princeton Review publishes on its website and in its Best Colleges guidebook. Among the 50 categories of school rankings in the annual book is a Best Campus Food list which is entirely based on student's ratings of their college's campus food. Note: Data from The Princeton Review Best Colleges student survey will not be factored into The Princeton Review/Sodexo college administrator survey or its findings.
About The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admissions services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school–bound students as well as working professionals achieve their education and career goals through its many education services and products. These include online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors; online resources; a line of more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House; and dozens of categories of school rankings. The company's Tutor.com brand, now in its 25th year, is one of the largest online tutoring services in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered more than 28 million tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review, U.S.-owned and operated, is headquartered in New York, NY. The company is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit PrincetonReview.com and the company’s Media Center. Follow the company on Instagram (@theprincetonreview), LinkedIn (the-princeton-review), YouTube (@ThePrincetonReview), and TikTok (@princeton.review).
About Sodexo North America
Sodexo North America is a division of Sodexo Group, a global Fortune 500 company operating in 45 countries and a leading provider of sustainable food and integrated facilities management in all 50 U.S. states, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam, at every moment in life: learn, work, heal and play. Across the U.S., the company employs over 100,000 people and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs by annually purchasing goods and services from a wide range of small to large businesses. Sodexo North America is committed to meeting the challenges of everyday life with a dual goal: to improve the quality of life of our employees and those we serve, and to contribute to the economic, social and environmental progress in the communities where we operate. Our purpose is to create a better every day for everyone to build a better life for all.
SOURCE
The Princeton Review
CONTACTS
The Princeton Review: pressoffice@review.com
Sodexo: publicrelations.usa@sodexo.com