Whitworth University Leads the Northwest in "U.S. News & World Report’s" 2026 Best Colleges Rankings
No. 1 Best Value in the Northwest
No. 11 Best Colleges for Veterans
No. 15 Best Regional Universities
Whitworth University continues to stand out in the Northwest as part of the newly released 2026 Best Colleges Rankings from U.S. News & World Report. The university earned the No. 5 spot on the list of Best Value Schools in the West, an achievement that places it higher than any other institution in the region. Among the top five, Whitworth is joined by four universities in Texas.
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The university was also recognized as one of the Best Overall Regional Universities in the West, coming in at No. 15. Whitworth has been ranked within the top 15 percent in this prestigious category for 27 years.
Whitworth’s continued commitment to veterans was acknowledged, with the university ranking No. 11 in Best Colleges for Veterans in the West.
“Rankings are only one measure of a university, but they affirm what we know to be true: Whitworth offers high value, strong support for veterans, and a Christ-centered community where students grow in both mind and heart,” says Josh Hibbard, vice president for enrollment management. “I’m proud to see these commitments recognized once again among the top universities in the West.”
Whitworth’s undergraduate engineering program was ranked No. 162, up 43 spots, from one year ago.
In Top Performers on Social Mobility, Whitworth’s ranking rose to No. 37, up from No. 56 in 2025. 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 (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 and will be in the print edition of the Best Colleges 2026 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.
Contacts:
Trisha Coder, associate director of media relations, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or tcoder@whitworth.edu
