Westmont Ranks Among Top National Colleges
The recently released 2019 rankings of U.S. colleges and universities confirm Westmont as one of the top Christian colleges in the nation.
Nationally, Westmont ranked No. 101 in Payscale’s “Best Universities and Colleges by Salary Potential,” the highest ranking of all Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) members. PayScale’s “Best Colleges in California by Salary Potential” lists Westmont as No. 19, nearly 40 spots above other similar Christian colleges in California and fourth among all religious schools in the state. The median salary for Westmont alumni with up to five years of experience is $50,700, rising to $111,500 for those with more than 10 years of experience.
The 2019 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Ranking lists Westmont at No. 239 out or more than 1,000 institutions, making it second among CCCU institutions. Westmont has gained 25 spots since the WSJ rankings began two years ago.
The 2019 U.S. News and World Report National Liberal Arts ranking lists Westmont among the top tier (No. 108) for the 14th year in a row. U.S. News noted that Westmont’s SAT scores in the 25th-75th percentile soared from 1040-1280 in 2016 to 1130-1380 in 2017, and the percentage of freshmen in the top 10 percent of their high school class jumped from 36 to 40 percent. Westmont was also listed among the top 69 institutions in “Undergraduate Teaching—National Liberal Arts Colleges” for the college’s “strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.” In addition, U.S. News ranks Westmont as No. 101 in Best Value Schools and No. 118 in High School Counselor Rankings.
For the sixth straight year, Westmont has been one of only two CCCU members in the top 100 colleges and universities in Forbes’ survey, Grateful Grads, which ranks alumni giving at private, not-for-profit colleges. Forbes comments, “The best way to evaluate a four-year college education may actually revolve around just one variable: alumni giving.”
Forbes America’s Top Colleges 2018 lists Westmont as No. 190, which puts it second among all CCCU institutions.
U.S. News ranked Santa Barbara at the top of the list of Best Places to Live in the U.S. for the Weather. “A little northwest of Los Angeles along the California coast, Santa Barbara benefits from beach breezes and the beauty of Los Padres National Forest,” the report says. “With as few as 79 cloudy days per year, on average, Santa Barbara tops the list of Best Places to Live in the U.S. for the Weather.”
Each year, parents and students consult national rankings as they search for a college, and they report that this information either validates or solidifies their choices.