Multiple Rankings Place Whitworth University Among the Best in the West
This consistent recognition underscores the university’s commitment to academic excellence, student engagement and career outcomes.
“This recognition affirms the distinctiveness of a Whitworth education,” says Josh Hibbard, vice president for enrollment management. “Our Christ-centered mission calls us to shape both minds and hearts, creating a community where students are known, challenged and supported. The rankings highlight the excellence of our faculty, the dedication of our staff, and the strength of our shared mission to honor God, follow Christ and serve humanity.”
The Princeton Review
For the second year in a row, Whitworth was named one of the “Best Colleges in the West” by The Princeton Review®. Rankings for this list are based on surveys of students who rate their own colleges on dozens of topics and report on their campus experiences. In its “2026 Region by Region” web feature, The Princeton Review® listed Whitworth as one of 79 colleges in the West it considered academically outstanding. When filling out the survey, students responded:
• “At Whitworth, you’ll find students who are very into helping one another succeed in any and every way they possibly can.”
• “You won’t be able to walk through campus without receiving several warm smiles and greetings.”
• “Everyone here is unique in their own way, and that just seems to draw people closer.”
• “This school lets us have an opinion and somewhere to share it.”
Washington Monthly
Whitworth was named among the top 100 colleges in the West as a “2025 Best Bang for the Buck” by Washington Monthly. Editors looked at how well the institution helped low-to-middle-income students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices. The list was created by isolating the accessibility, affordability and outcomes metrics from the main ranking (No. 89):
Access: Ranks colleges by how well they provide access to non-wealthy students. Among other metrics, it tracks how many students are on federal Pell Grants for low-to-middle-income families and compares that to how many Pell recipients those schools might be expected to enroll based on test scores, admission rates and statewide family income. Ranking: No. 90.
Affordability: Ranks colleges by their affordability. It includes the net price of the institution, or the amount that students with family incomes below $75,000 pay, minus aid. It also tracks how much debt graduates leave with. Ranking: No. 114.
Outcomes: Ranks colleges by the academic and financial outcomes they provide to students. It tracks the percentage of students graduating within eight years and compares that to statistical predictions. It compares graduation rates between wealthy and non-wealthy students. It also tracks the incomes that students make in their early careers and compares that to their peers’ early-career incomes. Additionally, the outcomes category ranks colleges by the number of graduates who go on to receive Ph.Ds. Ranking: No. 30.
Whitworth ranked No. 89 overall and No. 42 in the Master’s University category.
Niche
Whitworth is honored to be ranked at the top of several categories in Niche’s 2026 rankings:
• No. 3 Best Christian College in Washington
• No. 59 Best Christian College in America
• No. 8 Best College in Washington
• No. 5 Top Private University in Washington
Our School of Education was ranked second in the state, and our English department earned third-place honors.
Niche uses a combination of public data and millions of student and alumni reviews to determine its college rankings. The primary components include: academics (40%), value (27.5%) and professors (7.5%). Other factors include campus (5%), diversity (5%), student life (5%), overall experience surveys (5%), local area (2.5%) and safety (2.5%).
College Raptor
Whitworth University was also named a College Raptor Hidden Gem in its 2026 rankings, which recognize excellent and affordable schools. These rankings identify colleges that combine high-quality education with attainability, based on factors like retention and graduation rates, student-faculty ratio, endowment per student, and selectivity.
About Whitworth University:
Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private, Christian liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university has an enrollment of about 2,500 students and 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
