NMU Featured in 'Guide to Green Colleges'

Northern Michigan University is featured in the Princeton Review's Guide to Green Colleges: 2026 Edition. NMU earned a GreenScore of 91 points out of 99, securing a spot on the list of 388 unranked colleges that meet the standards for practicing and promoting environmental responsibility. This is NMU's second appearance in the guide.

"In a relatively short amount of time, NMU has demonstrated not only a commitment, but measurable action toward decarbonizing our campus," said Jes Thompson, NMU associate vice president for sustainability. "Ratings and reviews like this signify the importance of the work that we're doing. It also recognizes that it takes planning and dedication at all levels of the institution to make a difference.

"The university's core values, strategic plan and the Okanagan Charter all prioritize the health of our people, place and planet. It is so rewarding to be part of the team that is helping the institution 'walk the talk' on these values and implement meaningful and measurable change."

The Princeton Review, known for its resources for college-bound students, reviewed institutions across the country that have the following: a proper sustainability commission; degrees toward sustainability; a public greenhouse gas inventory plan; and a sustainability officer position.

"The GHG inventory is the public reporting of our greenhouse gas emissions," Thompson added, "We publicly report our emissions on a software platform called SIMAP, and that is different from the carbon neutrality plan, but the plan is key and demonstrates our commitment to decarbonize the campus. The NMU Board of Trustees-approved carbon neutrality plan certainly sets us apart from other institutions approved our size."

The Guide filtered through 401 colleges in a study conducted in 2024-2025, based on the institutions' sustainability practices. The company also surveyed students attending different colleges about the "green" experience on campus.

"Among the hundreds of schools we surveyed for this project, NMU, which offers excellent academics, is also a stand-out for its record of environmentally-responsible practices," Rob Franek, The Princeton Review's editor-in-chief, said. "We are delighted to recommend it to college applicants who want their 'best-fit' college to also be a 'green' one."

Franek also noted that The Princeton Review is seeing a strong appeal in college applicants to attend a green college. More than 7,000 students were polled in 2025 by the companies' College Hopes & Worries Survey; 59% said having information about a college's commitment to the environment would affect their decision to apply to or attend the school.

Learn more about NMU's sustainability efforts here: https://www.nmu.edu/shine/sustainable-nmu