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Western Washington University is the , according to the 2013 U.S. News & World Report college rankings.

“The collaborative approach to learning at Western – fostered by our caring, talented faculty and staff and embraced by our students – continually improves our campus culture of active minds changing lives,” said Western President Bruce Shepard. “Western’s well-deserved reputation for providing an excellent education is reaffirmed every year by our graduates, who become leaders in their professions and in communities across our state, region and nation.”

Western also is ranked third among top public master’s-granting universities in the West, a region stretching from Texas to the Pacific.

And Western was among the top universities in its category in the West as an “A-Plus School for B Students,” where students “have a decent shot at being accepted and thriving – where spirit and hard work could make all the difference…” This is in keeping with a strong focus at Western on being a collaborative campus community where students can achieve aspirations while developing interests and talents.

Ashley Hales, 2012 Outstanding Graduate in Special Education, said she transferred to Western because of its collaborative learning approach. “I was in search of establishing closer, more personal relationships with professors and the student community. I found exactly what I was looking for. More face-time with professors, as well as having high expectations placed upon me. I was able to achieve greater academic and personal success at Western,” she said.

Hales is now a third grade teacher at Hazelwood Elementary in the Renton School District.

U.S. News has separate categories for “national” (doctoral-granting or research) universities and liberal arts colleges and for specialties such as business and engineering.

The news magazine’s annual rankings are posted on its Web site, . Rankings are based on a variety of criteria including academic reputation, student selectivity and retention, faculty resources, peer assessment and financial resources.