University of Iowa Is Top Party School

Hawkeyes have more fun, according to a new Princeton Review survey

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Student fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes watch a free throw shot during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions on January 31, 2013 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City

Correction Appended: August 6, 2013

It’s official: college students say Hawkeyes party the hardest. The University of Iowa in Iowa City has topped Princeton Review’s 2013 list of the Top 20 party schools in the U.S. The school — which placed second to West Virginia University in the 2012 edition — also landed a spot on Princeton Review’s “Students Study Least,” “Lots of Beer,” “Students Pack the Stadiums” and “Lots of Greek Life” lists.

(LIST: 2012: And the Nation’s Top Party School Is…)

The test prep company compiled the “Party Schools” ranking by surveying 126,000 students nationwide and asking questions about how active fraternities and sororities are on campus and how many hours students spend studying each night.

University of Iowa spokesperson Tom Moore told the Des Moines Register that the percentage of students that consumes five or more drinks at once has dropped from 70.3 percent in 2009 to 58.7 percent in 2013, according to data from the National College Health Assessment. He also admitted that rate is “still too high.”

Nightlife at the college usually revolves around the bars in Iowa City. In the past, bars let in anyone over 18 or 19, though now only people over 21 can get in due to a 2010 city ordinance, the Associated Press reports.

(MORE: Does College Put Kids on a Party Pathway?)

The lively atmosphere has also earned the University of Iowa an A+ grade for nightlife, according to the College Prowler for the University of Iowapart of a series of guides written by actual students. In terms of parties, 62.1 percent of Hawkeyes say there are “lots of options Wednesday-Saturday” while 25.8 percent say there are “tons of raging parties almost any night of the week.” Tailgating during football season is probably the only time of year students are excited to wake up before 7:00 am, according another guide published by HerCampus.

Here’s the full list of the Top 20 party schools in America for 2013:

1. University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

2. University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Calif.

3. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Ill.

4. West Virginia University, Morgantown W. Va.

5. Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.

6. University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.

7. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio

8. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wis.

9. Penn State University, University Park, Pa.

10. Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa.

11. University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.

12. Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla.

13. DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.

14. University of Mississippi, University, Miss.

15. University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas

16. Miami University of Ohio, Oxford, Ohio

17. University of Maryland, College Park, Md.

18. Tulane University, New Orleans, La.

19. University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt.

20. University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore.

For students looking for a more mellow college experience, Princeton Review also released its 2013 list of the Top 20 “stone-cold sober” schools — which kicks off with Brigham Young University:

1. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

2. Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill.

3. College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, Mo.

4. Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, Calif.

5. U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.

6. Grove City College, Grove City, Pa.

7. Wesleyan College, Macon, Ga.

8. U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Conn.

9. U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.

10. Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich.

11. City University of New York-Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, N.Y.

12. City University of New York-City College, New York City

13. City University of New York-Queens College, Flushing, N.Y.

14. Mills College, Oakland, Calif.

15. Agnes Scott College, Atlanta/Decatur, Ga.

16. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Needham, Mass.

17. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.

18. Simmons College, Boston

19. Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass.

20. Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans

This article previously stated that Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration at the University of Iowa. It takes place at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the #3 party school on Princeton Review’s list. A previous version also stated that Brigham Young University enforces a curfew, but mistakenly hyperlinked to the BYU in Idaho. The BYU in Provo, Utah, is the one on the sober schools list. The spelling of West Virginia University has also been corrected.