College Choice Releases 2016 Ranking of Western Regional Universities
Unique college rankings are based exclusively on factors entering freshmen said most important to college decision
RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- College Choice (http://www.collegechoice.net) has published its 2016 ranking of regional universities in the West (http://www.collegechoice.net/rankings/best-western-regional-universities-2016/). These are Western universities which offer a full range of undergraduate programs, and some master's programs, but relatively few doctoral programs.
This ranking is based exclusively on factors actual college students said were most important to their college decision. According to the most recent annual CIRP Freshmen Survey by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, these factors include academic reputation, financial aid offerings, overall cost, and success of graduates in the post-college job market.
Trinity University in San Antonio, TX earned the top spot this year, replacing Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA, which moved to second place on the list. Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA was ranked third.
Universities making the list include (alphabetically ordered):
Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX
California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, CA
California Polytechnic State University--San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, CA
California State Polytechnic University--Pomona, Pomona, CA
California State University--Chico, Chico, CA
California State University--Fresno, Fresno, CA
California State University--Fullerton, Fullerton, CA
California State University--Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
California State University--Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
California State University--Northridge, Northridge, CA
California State University--Sacramento, Sacramento, CA
California State University--San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA
California State University--Stanislaus, Stanislaus, CA
Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA
Chapman University, Orange, CA
Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
George Fox University, Newberg, OR
Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA
Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene, TX
LeTourneau University, Longview, TX
Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA
Mills College, Oakland, CA
Mount Saint Mary's University, Los Angeles, CA
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM
Notre Dame de Namur University, Belmont, CA
Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, OK
Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA
Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR
Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, CA
Regis University, Denver, CO
San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA
Seattle University, Seattle, WA
Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA
St. Mary's College of California, Moraga, CA
St. Mary's University of San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
Trinity University, San Antonio, TX
University of Alaska--Anchorage, Anchorage, AK
University of Colorado--Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Belton, TX
University of Portland, Portland, OR
University of Redlands, Redlands, CA
University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX
Weber State University, Ogden, UT
Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA
Westminster College, Salt Lake City, UT
Whitworth University, Spokane, WA
"As with our rankings of national college and universities, when ranking regional universities it made sense to us to consider which factors the largest survey of actual college freshmen said was most important to them when they chose their school," said Jeremy Alder, Managing Editor of College Choice. "Every college ranking involves decisions about what elements of a college to consider. You can't measure or include everything, so why not go with what real students said they valued most in making their own college decision?"
The ranking takes into account academic reputation, average amount of scholarship and grant aid per student, overall net cost, and the average starting salary for graduates. Each factor was weighted equally. Data was derived from several publicly available sources, including the National Center for Education Statistics, Payscale.com, and U.S. News & World Report.
College Choice is an independent online publication dedicated to helping students and their families find the right college. The site publishes rankings and reviews that make finding the best colleges for different interests easier and more fun, as well as resources to help students get into, pay for, and thrive at the college of their choice.
Contact:
Jeremy Alder
Managing Editor, College Choice
http://www.collegechoice.net
(919) 745-8594
Email
SOURCE College Choice
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