U.S. News rankings show WWU as top public master’s-granting school in Pacific Northwest

Western Washington University is the highest-ranking public, master’s-granting university in the Pacific Northwest, according to the 2014 U.S. News & World Report college rankings.

Western also ranked second among top public master’s-granting universities in the West, a region stretching from Texas to the Pacific, moving up from third the previous year.

“We’re very pleased with this recognition of the high quality of our programs. Our campus culture is one of excellence across the board, and the emphasis placed on learning, achievement and aspirations to put higher education to higher purposes is demonstrated every year by our graduates who go on to make significant contributions to our state, nation and world,” said Western President Bruce Shepard. “Western’s success is a direct result of the dedication, talent and inspiration of our faculty and staff.”

And Western was among the top universities in its category in the West as an “A-Plus School for B Students,” where students “have a decent shot at being accepted and thriving – where spirit and hard work could make all the difference…” This is in keeping with a strong focus at Western on being a collaborative campus community where students can achieve aspirations while developing interests and talents.

Western ranked 22nd among the top schools in the West, which includes both public and private schools. That is up from 27th the previous year.

U.S. News has separate categories for “national” (doctoral-granting or research) universities and liberal arts colleges and for specialties such as business and engineering.

The news magazine’s annual rankings are posted on its website, www.usnews.com/colleges. Rankings are based on a variety of criteria including academic reputation, student selectivity and retention, faculty resources, peer assessment and financial resources.