About Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief, The Princeton Review

Updated June 2024

Rob Franek

Rob Franek is a national expert on colleges and higher education. He is a publisher, editor, lecturer, media contributor, and author as well as a former college admissions administrator.

As Editor-in-Chief at The Princeton Review®, he oversees the company’s line of 150+ Princeton Review books distributed by Penguin Random House. He also directs The Princeton Review’s annual surveys of students, parents, and school administrators.  The survey findings are reported at dozens of education conferences each year as well as in several hundred media outlets.

It is Rob's interactions with students, parents, and counselors that he cites as his most inspiring professional experiences. Over his 33-year career, he has visited more than 1,200 high schools and more than 1,000 colleges and graduate schools. Currently, he gives more than 100 talks a year to audiences of high school students, parents, educators, and counselor/advisors. At the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) conferences, Rob has chaired panels and presented keynotes. He has also delivered the commencement addresses at three universities.

Rob is author of four books: The Best 389 Colleges (the forthcoming 2025 edition, The Best 390 Colleges, will be published late August 2024);  The Best Value Colleges;  College Admission 101; and Colleges That Create Futures.  He also spearheaded the publications of The Ultimate Guide to HBCUs and The College Wellness Guide  and co-authored If the U Fits.

As director of The Princeton Review's surveys, Rob has polled millions of college and graduate school students for the company’s school rankings which are tallied in dozens of categories. The annual rankings are largely based on student ratings of their schools. Rob also oversees the company’s annual College Hopes & Worries Survey of thousands of college applicants and their parents, and its annual College Administrator Summer Survey.

Rob has hosted 140+ videos on The Princeton Review's YouTube channel. The three most viewed videos are The New SAT: 15 Must-Know Answers About the Test,  9 Key Concepts for AP English Language and Composition  and the College Admission 101 Learning Playlist. Collectively, Rob's videos have received more than a million views.

Sourced in stories by the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and other respected media, Rob has also appeared on hundreds of broadcasts. Among them are 30 appearances on NBC TODAY. Hoda Kotb, the show's co-anchor, has graciously introduced him saying “He talks. We listen!”  Rob has also appeared on ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, NPR, PBS, and Japan's NHK WORLD programs as well as the Emmy-award winning syndicated showTeen Kids News.

Rob earned his B.A. at Drew University (NJ), and proudly serves on the university’s Board of Trustees. Prior to joining The Princeton Review in 1999, he was a college admissions administrator at Wagner College (NY) for six years.

A resident of Manhattan, Rob is a New York history buff and an avid runner.

Some of Rob's 2024 national media interviews include:

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. Founded in 1981, The Princeton Review is now in its 43rd year. The company’s Tutor.com brand, now in its 24th 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 26 million tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review, headquartered in New York, NY, is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit PrincetonReview.com and the company's Media Center. Follow the company on X (formerly Twitter) (@ThePrincetonRev) and Instagram (@theprincetonreview).

SAT® and AP® are trademarks registered and owned by the College Board, which is not affiliated with and does not endorse The Princeton Review.

Franek is pronounced FRAN-ik. A headshot of Rob is downloadable here.

Contact: Jeanne Krier, Publicist for The Princeton Review, pressoffice@review.com

Updated June 2024