“U.S. News & World Report” Ranks Whitworth No. 1 in Undergraduate Teaching in the West
Ranked No. 3 Best Value Schools
Ranked No. 5 Best Colleges for Veterans
Ranked No. 7 Best Regional Universities
U.S. News & World Report, in its 2024 Best Colleges Rankings, has named Whitworth University No. 1 (tie) in Best Undergraduate Teaching among regional universities in the West. This is the second year in a row Whitworth has earned the top spot.
“Whitworth University professors are outstanding and highly accomplished teachers, mentors and scholars,” says Gregor Thuswaldner, provost & executive vice president. “I’m delighted that U.S. News & World Report consistently recognizes the dedication of our faculty in delivering an excellent education that nurtures both mind and heart.”
The university was also ranked No. 3 in Best Value Schools in the West and in the top 10 (No. 7) for Best Regional Universities in the West. Whitworth’s commitment to veterans was once again recognized with No. 5 in Best Colleges for Veterans in the West.
Whitworth tied for No. 57, up 23 spots, for Top Performers on Social Mobility. Social mobility measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants – typically from households earning less than $50,000 annually.
The rankings in the regional universities category were calculated using the 13 indicators below:
• graduation rates (16 percent)
• first-year retention rates (5 percent)
• graduation rate performance (10 percent)
• Pell graduation rates (5.5 percent) and Pell graduation performance rates (5.5 percent)
• borrower debt (5 percent)
• peer assessment (20 percent)
• faculty salaries (8 percent)
• student-faculty ratio (4 percent)
• full-time faculty (3 percent)
• financial resources (8 percent)
• standardized tests (5 percent)
Changes in the methodology used this year include: a greater emphasis on social mobility and outcomes for graduating college students and the removal of several factors in the ranking process including alumni giving rate and undergraduate class size.
The rankings are available online at usnews.com/best-colleges and will be in the print edition of the Best Colleges 2024 guidebook.
About Whitworth University:
Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university, which has an enrollment of almost 2,500 students, offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Contacts:
Trisha Coder, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or tcoder@whitworth.edu.
