UCSB, Westmont Make List of Top Colleges
Former as 44th Best National University; Latter at 111th Best Liberal Arts School
Both UCSB and Westmont College were recognized in U.S News & World Report‘s annual listing of the country’s top colleges and universities. UCSB was ranked number 12 in the magazine’s “Top 50 Public National Universities” and number 44 in the “Best National Universities.” The top 20 slots on that second list were dominated by private schools, with Harvard, Princeton, and Yale at the top. UC Berkeley came in at number 21, UCLA at 25, and UC San Diego 35. UCSB was tied with the Davis and Irvine campuses at 44.
UCSB was ranked one place higher than last year, and statistical improvements in most areas was seen. The magazine surveys 1,476 colleges and universities, evaluating data on academic quality and other information.
Meanwhile, Westmont was one of only three liberal arts colleges in the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities to crack the top liberal arts schools in the rankings. It was placed in a four-way tie at 111th. Westmont, which begins school this fall on September 1, was one of eight California liberal arts colleges to be listed.
“It’s a privilege and an honor for a young college such as Westmont to be ranked so high,” said Westmont dean of admissions Joyce Luy in a statement. “It’s not a perfect ranking system, though, and I encourage students, parents and counselors not to base their college choice solely on this.”
The magazine’s annual guide will be available Tuesday. To see the list in full, visit usnews.com.