U.S.News & World Report Recognizes Westminster College as Top Liberal Arts College

The prestigious national educational ranking firm, U.S.News & World Report, released its latest rankings today, recognizing Westminster College as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation and ranking it high for its diversity and among the best liberal arts colleges for veterans to attend.

“We are pleased that U.S.News & World Report continues to recognize the academic excellence students find at Westminster in comparison to many other colleges around the country,” says Westminster President Dr. George B. Forsythe.  “Our diversity, emphasis on leadership and individual attention, and support for our students all combine with that commitment to excellence to help our graduates achieve a 96%  placement rate in new jobs and graduate school acceptance.”

Westminster ranked #8 among all national liberal arts colleges for the highest percentage of international students.  Westminster College is well known for its diverse student population, which comes from 75 different countries.  Seventeen percent of the Westminster student body hails from a different country.

“International students enrich the experience of other students on campus,” the report states.  “Schools with a strong global presence often have a wealth of cultural groups and events, allowing international students an opportunity to share their food, music and traditions with their U.S. peers. International students attending these schools may also benefit from a large foreign community when trying to acclimate to American life.”

Westminster also ranked #7 among all national liberal arts colleges on the Best Colleges for Veterans list.

These rankings were given to the top-ranked schools that participate in federal initiatives helping veterans and active-duty service members apply for, pay for and complete their degrees.

Westminster College is one of the select colleges that compete against all liberal arts colleges in the nation in their category.  Most colleges and universities are placed in the regional categories of North, South, Midwest and West where they are only ranked in comparison to their peers in the region.

In order to qualify for evaluation, schools must award at least half of their degrees in the arts and sciences such as English, the biological and physical sciences, history and the visual and performing arts.

Criteria used includes undergraduate academic excellence as determined by college presidents, provosts, admission deans and high school counselors; student retention; faculty resources; student selectivity; financial resources; graduation rate performance; and alumni giving rate.

U.S.News & World Report, a national magazine, evaluates America’s colleges and universities for their academic excellence annually and publishes the findings in the newsstand book “America’s Best Colleges.”

More information on “America’s Best Colleges” can be found at www.usnews.com/education or by purchasing the new edition of “America’s Best Colleges” at a local bookstore or newsstand.