U.S. News again names Westminster as a top National Liberal Arts College

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Westminster College is one of the top 125 best national liberal arts colleges in the nation according to the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings released today.

Climbing eight spots to the 120 slot, Westminster was also listed among the top picks of high school counselors, as well as having one of the nation’s best online graduate education programs.

“We are pleased at the continuing recognition of the strength of the Westminster educational experience, particularly among high school counselors who play a key role in helping students choose a college,” said Westminster President Dr. Kathy Brittain Richardson, president. “The evidence is clear: Westminster’s undergraduate and graduate programs provide a deep experiential education that prepares our students for success.”

The rankings evaluate colleges and universities on 16 measures of academic quality such as first-year student retention, graduation rates and the strength of the faculty. U.S. News updated the Best Colleges methodology to further emphasize student outcomes, which hold the most weight at 35 percent – up from 30 percent last year. 

For the last 34 years, U.S. News has gathered data from nearly 1,800 colleges and universities across the nation to generate its annual Best Colleges rankings. U.S. News categorize each school as a national university, national liberal arts college, regional university, or regional college as part of its methodology.

“College is often one of the most expensive investments a person will ever make. Best Colleges provides the in-depth information students need to begin their search, with rankings, articles, user reviews, salary information and more,” said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News. "We have driven transparency in higher education for more than 30 years so that students have access to robust data and information to make well-informed choices.”

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