U.S. News & World Report Gives Whitworth High Marks for Value and Commitment to Teaching
September 9, 2018
Whitworth University has once again been selected by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top universities in the West in a number of categories including best regional universities, best undergraduate teaching, best values and best universities for veterans.
For the second year in a row, Whitworth placed No. 2 on the “Best Undergraduate Teaching – Regional Universities – West” list. The list identifies schools where faculty have a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.
Whitworth was ranked No. 5 on the “Best Value Schools – Regional Universities – West” list. The best-values rankings are based on academic quality and the net cost of attendance for a student receiving the average level of need-based financial aid. Whitworth will provide more than $58.9 million in grants and scholarships to undergraduate students in 2018-19. The university’s average award for incoming freshmen who receive financial aid is $39,957, making Whitworth one of the most affordable private universities in the West.
The university moved up one spot this year to No. 4 on the “Best Colleges for Veterans – Regional Universities – West” list and again ranked in the top 10, at No. 8, on the “Best Regional Universities in the West” list.
Whitworth was also one of 26 universities in the West placed on the online feature list “A+ Schools for B Students.”
This fall, Whitworth enrolled more than 700 first-year students. Its freshman class is one of Whitworth’s most diverse – with 34 percent coming from underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds.
Approximately 85 percent of Whitworth freshmen return as sophomores and 94 percent of graduates finish in four years; both of these measures are well above national averages.
These statistics are weighted highly in the rankings and, more importantly, directly correlate with positive student outcomes, according to Vice President for Admissions & Financial Aid Greg Orwig. Ninety-four percent of Whitworth’s recent graduates were employed or in graduate school within nine months of graduation, and several students earned full-tuition scholarships to prestigious universities across the U.S.
Whitworth students continue to excel in many other areas. They recently won national championships in forensics and Ethics Bowl, and Whitworth captured its 11th consecutive trophy for the best overall athletics program in the Northwest Conference last year.
“We always welcome the positive attention and student interest that comes with top-10 rankings in U.S. News,” Orwig said. “What really makes Whitworth stand out, however, and what attracted a record number of new students this year, can never be fully captured in statistics and rankings. That is our warm campus community, close student-faculty connections inside and outside the classroom, life-changing study abroad and service learning experiences and a mission that elevates academic excellence and faith-learning integration as complementary rather than competing values.”
U.S. News & World Report has published its rankings annually since 1983. The 2019 rankings can be found here: www.usnews.com/colleges. The Best Colleges 2019 guidebook will be on newsstands on Oct. 16.
Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private, liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university, which has an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students, offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Contacts:
Greg Orwig, vice president for admissions & financial aid, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4580 or gorwig@whitworth.edu
Trisha Coder, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or tcoder@whitworth.edu
Whitworth was ranked No. 5 on the “Best Value Schools – Regional Universities – West” list. The best-values rankings are based on academic quality and the net cost of attendance for a student receiving the average level of need-based financial aid. Whitworth will provide more than $58.9 million in grants and scholarships to undergraduate students in 2018-19. The university’s average award for incoming freshmen who receive financial aid is $39,957, making Whitworth one of the most affordable private universities in the West.
The university moved up one spot this year to No. 4 on the “Best Colleges for Veterans – Regional Universities – West” list and again ranked in the top 10, at No. 8, on the “Best Regional Universities in the West” list.
Whitworth was also one of 26 universities in the West placed on the online feature list “A+ Schools for B Students.”
This fall, Whitworth enrolled more than 700 first-year students. Its freshman class is one of Whitworth’s most diverse – with 34 percent coming from underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds.
Approximately 85 percent of Whitworth freshmen return as sophomores and 94 percent of graduates finish in four years; both of these measures are well above national averages.
These statistics are weighted highly in the rankings and, more importantly, directly correlate with positive student outcomes, according to Vice President for Admissions & Financial Aid Greg Orwig. Ninety-four percent of Whitworth’s recent graduates were employed or in graduate school within nine months of graduation, and several students earned full-tuition scholarships to prestigious universities across the U.S.
Whitworth students continue to excel in many other areas. They recently won national championships in forensics and Ethics Bowl, and Whitworth captured its 11th consecutive trophy for the best overall athletics program in the Northwest Conference last year.
“We always welcome the positive attention and student interest that comes with top-10 rankings in U.S. News,” Orwig said. “What really makes Whitworth stand out, however, and what attracted a record number of new students this year, can never be fully captured in statistics and rankings. That is our warm campus community, close student-faculty connections inside and outside the classroom, life-changing study abroad and service learning experiences and a mission that elevates academic excellence and faith-learning integration as complementary rather than competing values.”
U.S. News & World Report has published its rankings annually since 1983. The 2019 rankings can be found here: www.usnews.com/colleges. The Best Colleges 2019 guidebook will be on newsstands on Oct. 16.
Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private, liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university, which has an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students, offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Contacts:
Greg Orwig, vice president for admissions & financial aid, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4580 or gorwig@whitworth.edu
Trisha Coder, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or tcoder@whitworth.edu
