The 20 Most Fun Colleges In America

Higher education is certainly an opportunity to study and learn, but college can also be the most fun four years in someone's life. There's good reason for this — college is a time of seemingly endless parties, a constant supply of alcohol, and cherished sports teams to cheer on with fellow students.

In order to find the most fun colleges in the country, we looked at 10 categories from the Princeton Review's 2014 college rankings.

Click here to read our complete methodology.

Many of the schools that made our list share common traits. The typical "fun" school, based on our results, is a large public university with a strong Greek life and competitive athletics.

This is not to say that these colleges are all play and no work. Many of these schools were nationally ranked for their academics as well.

Penn State University was our number one most fun college, but only topped one of the Princeton Review's lists we used — Lots of Beer. The school was included in a whopping eight of the 10 categories we looked at, including high rankings in Students Pack the Stadiums, Everyone Plays Intramural Sports, Jock Schools, and Party Schools.

#20 University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana

Due to its single-sex dorms and lack of Greek life, Notre Dame is often thought of as a gendered campus, with little interaction between male and female students.

However, everyone comes out to support the Fighting Irish, Notre Dame's storied sports teams.

#19 University of Missouri

Columbia, Missouri

Athletics are a big part of the Mizzou social scene, and students are strong supporters of their Tigers.

On campus, Greek life makes up much of the partying culture, but Columbia, Missouri is a great college town for those seeking an alternative. 

#18 University of Wisconsin — Madison

Madison, Wisconsin

There's a lot of alcohol at the University of Wisconsin — both beer and hard liquor — and students take advantage of a small, but active Greek scene, as well as other social opportunities in Madison, Wisconsin.

The school has historically participated in two massive annual parties — the State Street Halloween Party in October and Mifflin Street Block Party at the end of the academic year.