Whitworth University Leads the Northwest in “U.S. News & World Report’s” 2025 Best Colleges Rankings
Ranked No. 4 Best Value Schools
Ranked No. 6 Best Colleges for Veterans
Ranked No. 8 Best Regional Universities
U.S. News & World Report has released its 2025 Best Colleges Rankings, and Whitworth University proudly maintains its leadership in the Northwest. Whitworth has been ranked No. 4 in the Best Value Schools in the West category, making it the only school in the Northwest to be ranked in the top five, with only two Texas universities and one from Utah above it.
The university was also in the top 10 (No. 8-tie) for Best Overall Regional Universities in the West. Only one other university in Washington placed in the top 10 along with Whitworth in the Best Overall (West) category. Whitworth has been ranked in the top 10 in this prestigious category for the past 26 years.
Whitworth’s commitment to veterans was once again recognized, with the university ranking No. 6 in Best Colleges for Veterans in the West.
“We are honored to be recognized once again as a top institution in the West,” says Josh Hibbard, vice president for enrollment management. “These rankings highlight Whitworth's commitment to delivering exceptional value, holistic education and dedicated support for all our students, including veterans. Being ranked among the top 10 for value, overall quality and service to veterans speaks to our mission of fostering both academic excellence and personal growth. We are excited to continue empowering our remarkable students, who embody the spirit of curiosity, leadership and service."
Whitworth ranked No. 57, up one spot from 2024, in 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)
• College grads earning more than a high school grad (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)
The rankings are available online at usnews.com/best-colleges and will be in the print edition of the Best Colleges 2025 guidebook.
About Whitworth University:
Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private Christian liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university, which has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Trisha Coder, associate director of media relations, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or tcoder@whitworth.edu
