Technology

The Princeton Review’s Company Look Back at 2024 and Look Ahead to 2025

Published

2 years ago

December 30, 2024

NEW YORK, Dec. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Princeton Review®, one of the nation’s leading education providers, today shared its annual look back at some of the company’s key offerings over the past year and look ahead to projects in the works for the year ahead.

In 2024, more than a million people turned to The Princeton Review for education-related information and resources. Students used the company’s services and products to score their best on tests; tackle school assignments; improve their grades; research and gain admission to undergraduate, graduate, and medical schools; and maximize opportunities for scholarships and financial aid. Post-graduates used the company’s resources to upskill for career advancement as well as prepare for professional licensing exams. Parents, teachers, counselors, advisors and members of the media reached out to The Princeton Review for information on everything from its survey findings and school rankings to trending topics in education.

The Princeton Review’s services and products in 2024 included:

• Test-prep Courses. Offered for dozens of tests and regularly updated to reflect changes in the tests, The Princeton Review courses are available in various formats from live online to in-person to self-paced. Some of the most popular courses carry The Princeton Review Better Scores Money Back Guarantee. Among its courses for tests taken by college applicants—the SAT®, PSAT/NMSQT®, ACT®, and AP® subject tests—the company’s SAT 1400+ course was the most popular in 2024. Among its courses for tests taken by applicants to graduate, law, business and medical schools—the GRE®, LSAT®, GMAT®, and MCAT®—the company’s LSAT 165+ and MCAT 515+ courses were among the most popular.

The Princeton Review’s courses for professional licensing and certification exams include its USMLE® Test Pack for MD candidates taking the medical licensing exam, and its suite of resources for the NCLEX-RN® exam which is required for licensing as a Registered Nurse. These include its NCLEX-RN LiveOnline and NCLEX Self-Paced course, and its Next Gen NCLEX-RN QBank. The company also offers courses for people preparing to take the CFA® (Chartered Financial Analyst®) Level I, Level II, and Level III exams. Through a marketing partnership with Surgent Accounting & Financial Education, The Princeton Review offers exclusive discounts on Surgent’s exam reviews for the CPA® (Certified Public Accountant), CMA® (Certified Management Accountant), and CISA® (Certified Information Systems Auditor) exams.

• Tutoring. The company’s more than 3,000 trusted tutors are available in 80+ subjects online and on demand, 24/7. They provide customized learning sessions for elementary school through college level students as well as for post-grads. At the company’s Instant Homework Help hub, tutors help students tackle school assignments and improve their study habits. At the LiveOnline Academic Tutoring hub, tutors help students earn higher grades in school, prepare for tests and achieve academic goals. In 2024, the top subjects for which students requested help from the company’s tutors were: Calculus, Pre-Calculus, Algebra-based Physics, and Physics.

• Admissions Counseling. The majority (80%) of students working with the company’s college admissions counselors in 2024 gained admission to at least one of their top three “dream” schools including such highly selective institutions as Harvard, MIT, and the University of Chicago. Students working with the company’s medical school admissions counselors gained admission to top medical schools in the U.S. (Duke, Harvard and Stanford among them) as well as outside of the U.S. (the University of Cambridge, the University of Melbourne, and the University of Toronto among them).

• Books. The Princeton Review’s line of 150+ books, distributed by Penguin Random House, includes test-prep guides and college guides, many of which have been annually updated for more than three decades. Among those long-running titles published in 2024 were the 39th edition of The Princeton Review’s primary guide to the SAT; the 36th edition of its primary guide to the ACT; and the 33rd edition of its flagship college guide, The Best 390 Colleges. Additionally, the 32nd edition of its book Paying for College holds the distinction of being the only annually updated guide to financial aid with guidance on completing the upcoming school year’s FAFSA® (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), a form that all aid applicants must submit, and the College Board’s CSS Profile® which hundreds of selective colleges require. Other notable releases in 2024 included 575+ Practice Questions for the Digital PSAT/NMSQT and 800+ SAT Practice Questions. Popular Princeton Review guides also hit Amazon.com bestseller lists in 2024. Among them were Digital SAT Premium Prep and AP World History: Modern Premium Prep which were bestsellers in the College Entrance and Test Guides category, and AP Psychology Premium Prep which was #1 in the Amazon.com bestseller category Teen & Young Adult AP Study Aids New Releases.

• AI Tools. Students using The Princeton Review’s award-winning generative AI-based tools AI College Admissions Essay Counseling and AI Homework Essay Feedback, which debuted in 2023, can upload essays they have written, and—within seconds—receive feedback, evaluation, and recommendations of ways to make their essays even better. (Note: These products do not write the student’s essays.) Designed with input from the company’s college admission and tutoring experts, the tools provide feedback on coherence, conciseness, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and more.

In 2024, The Princeton Review also:

• Reported school rankings in dozens of categories including its

Top Undergrad and Grad Schools to Study Game Design (March)

Best Value Colleges (June)

Best Business Schools and Best Law Schools (July)

Best Colleges (August)

Top Green Colleges (October) and

Top Undergrad and Grad Schools to Study Entrepreneurship (November).

• Conducted national education surveys including its

College Hopes & Worries 2024 Survey. Now in its 22nd year, this survey polled 10,800 college applicants and their parents in February on their application perspectives, need for financial aid, “dream” college (the school they wished they (or their child) could attend if acceptance was a given and cost was not a concern), as well as other timely issues. Among the findings: 82% of respondents overall said financial aid would be very necessary to pay for college and 73% reported high stress about their college applications. The #1 dream college among surveyed students was Harvard. The #1 dream college among surveyed parents was MIT.

College Administrator Summer 2024 Survey. Now in its 5th year, this survey polled administrators at 246 colleges in July on their fall enrollment forecasts, test policies, opinions about the revised FAFSA as well as the use of AI in college applications and admissions, and other issues. Among the findings: 75% of the administrators projected their fall 2024 enrollment to be on par with that of fall 2023; 89% reported their schools were test optional (7% said test blind; 4% said test scores were required); and 70% reported low or very low confidence that the release of the FAFSA for 2025-26 would be timely and smooth.

• Promoted mental health services on college campuses

The Princeton Review Mental Health on College Campuses project, supported by a partnership with the Ruderman Family Foundation, began with a survey of administrators at 2,000+ colleges about the availability of mental health services and resources at their schools. The company also surveyed college students about their awareness of such services and resources on their campuses. A report on The Princeton Review Campus Mental Health Survey findings is accessible here. In October, The Princeton Review uploaded information about schools’ mental health services to 250 of its college profiles on PrincetonReview.com and named 16 schools to its Mental Health Services Honor Roll for 2025. The company also launched a content hub on its website dedicated to mental health resources. A short video on the project is viewable here.

• Provided free resources for students, parents, teachers, counselors and others

From college-night talks to test-strategy sessions to career-related webinars, The Princeton Review hosted thousands of free events in 2024. Its education experts also created dozens of videos that were uploaded to its YouTube channel. The channel’s 600+ videos feature updates on standardized tests and tips for scoring well on them as well as strategies for gaining admission to (and financial aid from) colleges and universities. In 2024, the videos that were most viewed on The Princeton Review YouTube channel were AP Exams Going Digital!, The New Digital SAT: 15 Must-Know Answers About the Test, and How to Make the Best College Decision by May 1st.

• Was referenced widely in media broadcasts and print and online features

Each year, members of the media reach out to The Princeton Review for comment, advice, and information about education issues. In 2024, the company’s Editor in Chief Rob Franek appeared on several national broadcasts including a segment on NBC TODAY on October 7th that was his 31st appearance on the show. It featured his advice for college applicants, reports on the company’s recently reported college rankings, and comments on trending issues in education. Other media sourcing Rob included: CNBC, the BBC, Teen Kids News and Voice of America. In 2024, hundreds of regional, local and niche media reported on schools that earned various Princeton Review rankings and honors. Many schools are citing these accolades now in their 2024 end-of-year retrospectives.

• Received awards and recognition

In November, two of the leading edtech publications—Campus Technology and THE Journal—honored The Princeton Review along with its affiliate,Tutor.com, naming the company’s AI-based tools for tutoring a Platinum Award-winner in their 2024 Product of the Year Awards. More information about the publications’ awards program is here.

In December, The Princeton Review reported that an effectiveness study has demonstrated that the company’s institutional SAT Prep program meets Level II requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). An accompanying logic model demonstrated that the program is informed by high-quality research that satisfies Level IV requirements of the ESSA. The effectiveness study and logic model were completed by Instructure Research, a third-party research and evaluation group. The study and model were designed to assess student outcomes for an institutional program in which a K–12 district partnered with The Princeton Review to provide test prep for its students.

• Welcomed new executive management

In May, The Princeton Review announced that Robert (Bob) Batten, joined the company as Chief Executive Officer, and in June, it reported that Sarah Robinson, joined the company as Chief Product Officer.

Projects The Princeton Review has in the works for 2025 include:

• Updates of its courses for standardized tests. Having updated its courses for many tests that underwent major revisions in 2024 (including the SAT, GMAT, GRE, and LSAT), the company is revising its courses for the ACT and the AP subject tests to align with significant changes in the tests in 2025. In April, the “Enhanced” ACT” will officially debut with a digital option and in a shorter format. Other changes in the test are forthcoming in September. In May 2025, 28 AP Exams will transition to digital versions.

• Updated editions of many of the company’s books. The Princeton Review will publish significantly updated editions of its test-prep guides for exams referenced above that are undergoing major changes in 2025 as well as create additional resources to prepare for the new tests. The Best 391 Colleges, the 2026 edition of its annual college guide, will reveal the top colleges in 50 categories based on The Princeton Review’s surveys of nearly 170,000 college students. The 2026 edition of Paying for College will provide guidance on completing the 2026–27 FAFSA as well as updates on changes in other financial aid forms and the methodologies by which aid awards are determined.

“As The Princeton Review begins its 44th year, the mission that drove the company’s founding in 1981 remains as vital and relevant today,” said Bob Batten, Chief Executive Officer. “Our full team is dedicated to education and to helping students reach their academic and career goals. We look forward to serving even more students in 2025 and we join with all who care about them and their promising futures.”

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; 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 44th 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 27 million tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review is headquartered in New York, NY. The Princeton Review 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.

All tests are registered trademarks of their respective owners. None of the trademark holders are affiliated with The Princeton Review.

CFA Institute does not endorse, promote, or warrant the accuracy or quality of the products or services offered by The Princeton Review. CFA® and Charted Financial Analyst® are trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

FAFSA® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Education.

LSAT® is a trademark registered by Law School Admission Council (LSAC) which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, The Princeton Review.

MCAT® is a registered trademark of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

PSAT/NMSQT® is a registered trademark of the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which are not affiliated with, and do not endorse, The Princeton Review or its offerings.

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

WEBSITE: www.princetonreview.com

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SOURCE The Princeton Review

Technology

Best AI Design Tools (2026): CapCut Named a Top Choice for Creating Images and Marketing Assets by Software Experts

Published

19 minutes ago

July 18, 2026

NEW YORK, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Software Experts has recognized CapCut as a top choice among AI design tools for 2026, citing its AI Design Studio as a standout resource for creating images and marketing assets. The recognition points to the platform’s combination of automated layout generation, image editing, and campaign focused features built for marketers, e-commerce sellers, and content creators.

Best AI Design Tools

CapCut AI Design Studio – a web based design workspace that uses AI to help users create ads, product visuals, and branded content without prior design experience.

Core Capabilities of the AI Design Studio

The AI Design Studio is built around a conversational, infinite canvas that allows users to work with an AI design agent in real time. Instead of starting from a blank template, users type a prompt, upload reference images, and receive layout options generated automatically.

The latest version, Design 2.0, brings references, drafts, assets, and edits into a single workspace. Features include pencil prompting for visual editing, smart layer split for separating subjects and backgrounds, and a One More function that generates new creative directions from an existing design. Users can circle, brush, or mark up an image directly to guide how the AI adjusts a design, rather than relying only on written prompts.

An inspiration hub with built in assets and license free images is also part of the workspace, helping users start projects without sourcing outside materials. Layers for text, subjects, and backgrounds remain editable throughout the process, which allows for adjustments without regenerating an entire design from scratch.

Applications for E-Commerce and Marketing Teams

The AI Design Studio supports several common business use cases, including product content creation, trend based design remixing, and clothing visualization for fashion brands. These features are designed to reduce the time spent on repetitive production tasks, particularly for teams that need to update visuals frequently.

For e-commerce sellers, the tool can generate product main images, banners, and packaging designs from a single uploaded photo, and supports batch replacement across shared backgrounds. A seller managing multiple product lines can apply the same background and layout across different items with one click, rather than recreating each asset individually.

Fashion brands can use the AI clothing try-on feature to visualize how garments appear on different models, helping with catalog updates during seasonal campaigns such as Black Friday. Marketing and social teams can generate assets in multiple styles and resize them automatically for different platforms, which helps maintain consistency across channels without manual reformatting. The trend remixing feature also allows brands to reference the structure of a popular design while keeping the content original to their own products.

Design Automation Powered by Seedream 5.0

For marketing posters and layout heavy assets, the AI Design Studio incorporates the Seedream 5.0 model, which is ranked first on Artificial Analysis’ Text-to-Image Leaderboard. The model is used to arrange visual elements, generate multiple layout variations, and handle typesetting automatically based on uploaded product images.

This approach is intended to reduce the manual work involved in formatting marketing materials. Uploading one or more product photos allows the system to generate several layout options, positioning text, imagery, and other elements without requiring manual placement. Once a layout is generated, users can continue refining it with stickers, filters, or additional effects within the same workspace.

The process is designed to move from prompt to a finished, ready to use asset without requiring separate design software. For teams producing large volumes of seasonal or promotional content, this can reduce the number of tools involved in a single campaign.

Why AI Design Tools Matter for Small Teams

AI design tools are becoming useful because many teams need more visual content than traditional workflows can comfortably support. The Software Experts review notes that marketers, creators, and small businesses often need product images, social graphics, banners, email headers, event posters, and campaign visuals on tight timelines.

For small teams, the main advantage is not simply automation. It is the ability to get to a workable draft faster. Starting from a blank canvas can slow down campaign production, especially when a team is managing several platforms or product lines. AI-assisted design tools can generate starting points, resize assets, suggest layouts, and help keep visuals consistent across channels.

Access and Getting Started

The AI Design Studio is accessible through CapCut desktop by selecting Design Agent from the main dashboard. Users enter a text prompt describing the desired output, optionally upload reference images, and review the generated results.

A typical workflow might involve uploading a reference photo and entering a detailed prompt describing a desired style, color palette, or setting. The AI then generates initial design options based on that input. The built in editor allows for further adjustments, including color changes, auto cutout, element removal, and text overlays, before the final image is downloaded in high resolution.

Software Experts noted that the AI Design Studio is suited to a range of users, from e-commerce sellers managing large catalogs to individual creators producing social media content, as well as marketing teams handling multiple campaigns at once. The tool is offered as part of CapCut’s existing platform, with pricing details available directly through CapCut.

Readers can find the full review at Software Experts.

About CapCut

CapCut is an AI-powered photo and video editing platform designed to make high-quality video creation accessible across devices. The platform supports creators, businesses, and everyday users with tools for video editing, AI video generation, captions, templates, audio, and visual editing. CapCut is available across mobile, web, desktop, and iPad experiences, helping users create, edit, and prepare video content for social media, marketing, education, and personal projects.

About Software Experts: Software Experts delivers in-depth news on the digital tools shaping today’s consumer experience. As an affiliate, Software Experts may earn commissions from sales generated using links provided.

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SOURCE SoftwareExperts.org

Technology

Best AI Design Tools (2026): CapCut Named a Top Choice for Creating Images and Marketing Assets by Software Experts

Published

19 minutes ago

July 18, 2026

Best AI Design Tools

CapCut AI Design Studio – a web based design workspace that uses AI to help users create ads, product visuals, and branded content without prior design experience.

Core Capabilities of the AI Design Studio

Applications for E-Commerce and Marketing Teams

Design Automation Powered by Seedream 5.0

Why AI Design Tools Matter for Small Teams

Access and Getting Started

Readers can find the full review at Software Experts.

About CapCut

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/best-ai-design-tools-2026-capcut-named-a-top-choice-for-creating-images-and-marketing-assets-by-software-experts-302828625.html

SOURCE SoftwareExperts.org

Technology

Samsung Selects Chandigarh University Student as ‘Punjab AI State Topper’

Published

1 hour ago

July 18, 2026

CU Student Devesh Panwar Wins Rs 1 Lakh Award for Developing AI-Based Document Search System

CHANDIGARH, India, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) student of Chandigarh University, Devesh Panwar, has been named the “Punjab State Topper” in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) under the Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) AI Program organised by Samsung in collaboration with Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC) and training partner Focal Skill Development (Focalyt) to equip Indian youth with industry-relevant in-demand skills in AI, loT, Big Data, and Coding & Programming, preparing them for future careers.

A final-year student of Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) at University Institute of Computing (UIC) of Chandigarh University, Devesh Panwar also won a cash award of Rs 1 lakh along with a laptop, and exclusive Samsung rewards for achieving this remarkable milestone under the Samsung Innovation Campus AI Program.

“Being named ‘AI State Topper’ was a moment of profound pride and validation for me. Hard work, intense technical training and a passion for AI culminated in the immense honor of the Punjab State Topper title. Besides getting access to state-of-the-art tools to fuel my future research and development endeavor, I gained world-class knowledge during the Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) AI Program. It helped me in gaining hands-on experience and applied AI to solve real-world challenges, especially in aeronautical and technical domains,”

During Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) AI Program, Devesh and his team worked on innovative AI capstone project which was presented before the jury panel as part of the final assessment.

“Our team developed the advanced AI-powered system AI Research Agent, a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) platform designed for intelligent querying of private document collections. Organizations, researchers, legal professionals, and HR teams often work with large collections of documents. Traditional search methods rely heavily on keyword matching and require significant manual effort to locate relevant information. The project was developed to address the limitations of traditional document search systems, which often struggle with contextual understanding, retrieval accuracy, learning adaptability, and response speed,” said Devesh.

“The developed system demonstrated significant improvements over traditional document retrieval approaches with faster response generation with integration of modern AI techniques, full-stack development, database systems, and intelligent automation into a single practical solution. By combining modern RAG architecture with innovative retrieval and reasoning mechanisms, this system provides a fast, intelligent, and user-friendly solution for knowledge discovery and resume evaluation. This project not only enhanced our technical expertise in Artificial Intelligence and Full-Stack Development but also strengthened our problem-solving, teamwork, and professional communication skills. It stands as a significant achievement of our Samsung Innovation Campus 2025 journey and reflects our commitment to building impactful AI solutions for real-world challenges,” he added.

Congratulating Devesh Panwar for being named “Punjab State Topper” AI under the Samsung Innovation Campus Samsung Innovation Program, Deepinder Singh Sandhu, Senior Managing Director, Chandigarh University, said, “Devesh’s achievement reflects Chandigarh University’s focus on experiential learning and industry-academia collaboration. Through the Samsung Innovation Campus AI Program, CU students gain practical exposure to AI and building solutions for real-world challenges. This accomplishment reflects not only Devesh’s commitment to excellence but also the growing culture of innovation and industry-oriented learning at Chandigarh University,”.

“Since its inception, Chandigarh University has set benchmarks for world-class education with its dynamic hands-on experiential learning model, industry-aligned programs, dynamic fraternity, state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities and impeccable placements. Samsung Innovation Program is also part of our initiatives to develop a future-ready talent pool equipped with advanced capabilities in AI, loT, Big Data, and Coding and Programming. By bridging the gap between theoretical learning and real-world application, this collaboration helps in providing CU’s computer science and computing students exposure to cutting-edge and emerging technologies. CU’s this partnership with Samsung is focused on building future-ready talent equipped with industry-relevant skills in AI and emerging technologies,” Sandhu said.

He said Chandigarh University’s Institute of Computing (UIC) prepares students for a successful career in computing, to create and disseminate computing knowledge and technology. “Chandigarh University carries a vision of crafting next-gen IT professionals who can take up industry challenges effectively and our Institute of Computing (UIC) prepares students for a successful career in computing, to create and disseminate computing knowledge and technology. UIC’s hands-on approach paves the way for a smooth transition to the workforce after graduation. Our students are equipped with the best knowledge, skills and passion to succeed in any number of computing careers. CU’s Institute of Computing renders cutting-edge education ranging from the expertise in traditional software development -to- modern computing technologies. Fully-equipped industry-sponsored labs, industry-aligned curriculum, and accreditations and validations by top companies such as Intel, Microsoft, Google Android, Red Hat etc. give our students an exclusive edge over others,” the Chandigarh University CMD said.

Sandhu said the latest edition of QS World University Rankings has yet again reaffirmed Chandigarh University global standing as a top educational institution. “Continuing its remarkable rise among the world’s leading higher education institutions, Chandigarh University (CU) has made impressive strides in the latest edition of prestigious QS World University Rankings 2027 by securing an overall world rank of 526, an increase of 49 ranks as compared to 575th rank in QS’ 2026 Rankings. This is for the fifth consecutive year that Chandigarh University’s global rankings have witnessed an impressive surge with CU’s world rank going up by an impressive 274 ranks — from the 800th rank in 2023 to 526th in 2027’s Rankings,”.

“As per the latest QS World University Rankings, with All India Rank of 13 among all universities in the country as compared to 16th rank in 2026’s rankings, Chandigarh University now ranks among the top 1% of universities in India and the top 2% of universities in the World, underscoring its growing reputation as a leading institution of higher learning, both in India and globally,” he added.

About Chandigarh University

Chandigarh University is a NAAC A+ Grade University and QS World Ranked University. This autonomous educational institution is approved by UGC and is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honoured with A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in the field of engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and others. It has been awarded as The University with Best Placements by WCRC.

Website address: https://www.cuchd.in/

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