Fort Lewis College has been ranked No. 17 in the Best Regional Colleges West category by the U.S. News & World Report, according to a news release from the college.
The college also ranked within the top 10 in the Top Public Schools and Best Colleges for Veterans categories, as well as ranked No. 31 for Top Performers on Social Mobility and No. 226 for Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs.
The U.S. News & World Report “use(s) world-class data and technology to publish independent reporting, rankings, journalism and advice that has earned the trust of readers and users for more than 90 years,” according to the digital media company’s website.
Academic reputation, faculty resources, student outcomes and graduation rates are all factors institutions are evaluated on to determine ranking, according to the U.S. News & World Report. Rankings are determined and released annually.
The U.S. News & World Report ranks various types of educational institutions using several different categories. The Regional Colleges category represents schools that focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines, according to the company’s website. Four regions – North, South, Midwest and West – are evaluated within the Regional Colleges sector.
Fort Lewis College shared the no. 17 ranking in the West category in a three-way tie with the University of Silicon Valley and Southwestern Adventist University.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University took first place overall in the category.
The U.S. News & World Report ranking joins other distinctions that have been bestowed upon the college, according to the release. Those include having been previously listed as one of The Princeton Review's Best in the West colleges, which draws on student feedback to make determinations, as well as being awarded a designation as a “Special Focus: Arts and Sciences” institution by the Carnegie Classifications in April. The college was also dubbed a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for the U.S. Scholar Program by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in February.
“These rankings highlight what our students, faculty and alumni already know – FLC offers a rigorous, high-quality education in a supportive environment that prepares graduates to lead with knowledge and purpose,” Fort Lewis College President Heather Shotton said in the release. “We’re proud to be recognized among the top public colleges in the West.”
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