Whittier College has again been named one of the top national liberal arts colleges by the Princeton Review, Washington Monthly, Forbes, Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, and College of Distinction, among others in the roundup of annual college rankings.
The 2018 Best Colleges guidebook gave Whittier kudos for its campus diversity. The College is one of five California institutions on the top 10 list of ethnically diverse national arts colleges. Whittier was also named one of the top 10 Hispanic Serving Institutions in the U.S. by College Raptor, an online guide.
Whittier did well in two notable publications that go beyond the traditional ranking models.
Schools included on the Washington Monthly’s 2017 College Guide are rated based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and Ph.D.s), and service (encouraging students to give something back to their country). Whittier ranked among the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the country.
Likewise, Colleges of Distinction focuses on providing information to help students find the right fit. Inclusion in the listing is based on four overarching distinctions—engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities, and successful outcomes—“which are the fundamental elements of an effective undergraduate education.”
Finally, Whittier found itself among the top 200 best-loved colleges in Forbes magazine’s 2017 Grateful Grads Index. This list looks at alumni satisfaction and analyzes giving data—median private donations and gifts per student over 10 years as well as overall alumni participation, regardless of dollar amount. On the list were ivy league institutions, large universities, and liberal arts colleges like Whittier College.