US News: Cal Lutheran 10th best in West
University is also 5th Most Innovative School of 124
Cal Lutheran is ranked the fifth Most Innovative School in the region in a category recognizing those that are making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, campus life, technology and facilities.
Photo: Brian Stethem(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Sept. 14, 2020) California Lutheran University is among the top 10 regional universities in the West in the U.S. News Best Colleges rankings for the second year in a row.
On the list released today, Cal Lutheran is ranked 10th among 124 universities that provide a full range of undergraduate majors and master’s degrees and a few doctoral programs in 15 Western states.
The Thousand Oaks-based university jumped several spots to be ranked the fifth Most Innovative School in the region. This category recognizes colleges and universities that are making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, campus life, technology and facilities.
Cal Lutheran earned high marks for affordability in two different U.S. News categories for universities in the West. It was ranked 13th on the Best Value Schools list, which factors in academic quality and cost after accounting for financial aid. And it ranked seventh among those deemed the Best Colleges for Veterans because they make pursuing an education affordable by being certified for the GI Bill and participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program.
On a nationwide U.S. News list of special programs that research shows are linked to student success, Cal Lutheran was highlighted for its well-regarded First-Year Experience for the first time. The university’s program ranked 68th in the country in the category added last year.
Among regional universities in the West, Cal Lutheran also ranked:
- 22nd for Best Undergraduate Teaching
- 29th for Campus Ethnic Diversity
- 41st among Top Performers on Social Mobility
The university also was among the 18 in the West on the unranked A-Plus Schools for B Students list.
The overall U.S. News rankings consider student outcomes, faculty resources, academic reputation, per-student spending, admissions selectivity and alumni giving.
Cal Lutheran also made Washington Monthly magazine’s socially conscious alternative to the U.S. News rankings that were released Aug. 31. In Washington Monthly’s College Rankings, Cal Lutheran moved up 34 spots to 171st among master’s universities nationwide for contributing to the public good through social mobility, service and research. The university moved up 16 spots to 79th among the magazine’s list of Best Bang for the Buck Colleges in the West.