News & Information

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Sept. 13, 2011) California Lutheran University is ranked 18th on the 2012 U.S. News & World Report list of top regional universities in the West.

CLU has placed among the top tier for the past 17 years. The university maintained a spot in the top tier of institutions in 15 Western states based on high scores in the categories measured. CLU's overall score increased over its assessment last year.

The university's selectivity increased dramatically, with the acceptance rate decreasing from 62 percent to 47 percent. SAT/ACT scores and the percentage of freshmen in the top of their high school classes both increased. CLU's peer assessment score also improved.

CLU's freshman retention rate increased to 80 percent. The average GPA was 3.6 and 70 percent of CLU freshmen were in the top 25 percent of their class. These factors resulted in U.S. News naming CLU to its list of A-Plus Schools for B Students among regional universities in the West for the second year. According to the report, admissions offices at these universities seek a broad and engaged student body and are flexible enough that spirit and hard work can make a difference, enabling some students who weren't at the top of their class to get in. At these top-ranked universities the students can thrive.

The latest rankings were posted today at http://www.usnews.com and will be featured in the "2012 Best Colleges" guidebook available on newsstands Sept. 20.