Western Tops in the Pacific Northwest in 2016 Money Magazine College Rankings
Western Washington University is the top public master’s producing university in the Pacific Northwest, according to Money Magazine’s new 2016 Best Colleges ranking at .
“The university’s well-deserved reputation for providing an excellent education at an outstanding value just reaffirms Western’s commitment to our students and to the state we serve,” said Western Interim President Brent Carbajal. “All this is made possible through the dedication of faculty and staff to create a collaborative learning environment where students can achieve their goals.”
Money ranked more than 700 colleges and universities – and dropped hundreds more based on poor graduation rates or financial problems for the institution – and placed them in the rankings based on a combination of academic excellence, affordability, and that school’s preparation of its students for rewarding careers.
Western finished ahead of many large research institutions such as the University of Southern California, Arizona State University, and the University of Oregon, and ahead of master’s-granting peers such as California Polytechnic State University.
Western also is the highest-ranking public, master’s-granting university in the Pacific Northwest, according to the , which are based on a variety of criteria including academic reputation, student selectivity and retention, faculty resources, peer assessment and financial resources.
And Western is one of the 100 best values in public colleges, which notes four-year schools that combine outstanding education with economic value.