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Sugar House Journal

Westminster Named Among “The Best 381 Colleges” by The Princeton Review

Sep 28, 2016 13h47 ● By Bryan Scott
Press Release submitted to City Journals


SALT LAKE CITY – The Princeton Review announced today that Westminster College is one of the nation’s “Best 381 Colleges” and will be included in their 2017 annual college guide. Only 15 percent of the country’s 2,500 four-year colleges is showcased in their guidebook.

This year, Westminster was also listed as one of the top 25 “Colleges That Pay You Back” for its “exceptional delivery of great academics, affordable costs and great career foundations.” 

“I am truly pleased to be included in the Princeton Review’s guide and named as one of the top colleges that pays students back,” said Stephen Morgan, Westminster president. “I’ve said on many occasions that if our students invest in Westminster, then we will invest in them. Our number one priority continues to be our students and their education, and we hope their experience here leads to a meaningful life.”

Hailed as a “best kept secret,” the college continues to receive accolades for its “intimate classes,” “professors who truly care about their students” and beautiful campus. In the guide’s 2017 profile, students praised Westminster for being the epitome of the whole “college package.” Its location was cited as providing “many opportunities (professional, recreational and cultural),” as well as being located only “15 minutes away from outdoor recreation areas.” Many students also highlighted the “very personal culture” and “outstanding” nursing program.

“We hope students view Westminster as a place where they will not only receive a first-class education, but a place where their experiences outside of the classroom are just as important as those within it,” added Morgan.  

Published annually since 1992, “The Best 381 Colleges” guide includes detailed profiles of the colleges with rating scores for all schools in eight categories, plus ranking lists of top-20 schools in the book in 62 categories based on The Princeton Review's surveys of students attending the colleges.

The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges from 1 to 381 in any category. Instead, it uses students' ratings of their schools to compile 62 ranking lists of top 20 colleges in the book in various categories. The lists in this edition are entirely based on The Princeton Review's survey of 143,000 students (about 375 per campus on average) attending the colleges. The 80-question survey asks students to rate their schools on several topics and report on their campus experiences at them. Topics range from their assessments of their professors as teachers to opinions about their school's library, career services and student body's political leanings. The Princeton Review explains the basis for each ranking list at http://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/ranking-methodology.