The U.S. News College Rankings Are Out: Washington Has Five of the Top 20 State Schools in the West

According to the U.S. News & World Report's annual, occasionally flawed list of college rankings, Washington is home to five of the top 20 of the best regional universities in the Western United States. The publication defines a regional universities as institutions that offer "a full range of undergraduate programs and some master's programs but few doctoral programs." (This means heavy-hitters such as the University of Washington and Washington State University were not included in this round up.)

U.S. News & World Report graded these regional universities on a scale out of 100. Here's who made the cut in Washington:

#4: Gonzaga University in Spokane, 86/100

#8: Seattle University, 75/100

#11: Whitworth University in Spokane, 71/100

#15: Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, 66/100

#18: Western Washington University in Bellingham, 61/100