March 13, 2007

Whitworth Ranks #32 on Kiplinger's List of 50 Best Values in Private Universities

Whitworth College joins some of the most elite schools in the country on Kiplinger's 2007 rankings of the 100 best values among private liberal-arts colleges and universities in the country. Whitworth is the highest-ranked school in the Pacific Northwest and one of the smallest to appear in the ranking of top private university values, which is posted to the Kiplinger website and appears in the April issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine scheduled to hit newsstands today.

The magazine ranks the 50 best values among private liberal-arts colleges and the 50 best values among private universities separately but based on the same criteria of academic quality and affordability, with academic quality accounting for two-thirds of the formula.

"Being recognized by Kiplinger's in its 2007 rankings of the best values among private universities is yet another indication of Whitworth’s academic quality," says Dean of Enrollment Services Fred Pfursich. "Whitworth's top 50 national ranking in this impressive list of private universities clearly acknowledges our commitment to offering a top-tier academic environment along with an excellent financial-aid program."

Whitworth also has consistently been recognized as a “best value” in U.S. News & World Report’s annual America’s Best Colleges guide. In its 2007 rankings, the magazine placed Whitworth third among 123 master’s-level universities in the 15-state Western region on the best-values ranking and in a tie for fifth on its best-colleges ranking.

Kiplinger Associate Editor Jane Bennett Clark, who wrote the story accompanying the rankings, said Whitworth's high ranking can be attributed to its overall academic quality as well as to its relatively low cost and high percentage of non-need-based aid.

"We gave the academic measures more weight than the financial measures, because parents focus first on the academic quality and reputation of a school and then figure out how they’re going to pay for it," Clark says.

The academic quality measures in Kiplinger's rankings include the percentage of applicants granted admission; the percentage of 2005-06 freshmen who scored 600 or higher on the verbal and math sections of the SAT or 24 or higher on the ACT; student-faculty ratio; and four- and five-year graduation rates.

Whitworth's admissions rate has become increasingly selective as the number of applications to the college has grown from 1,115 in 2000 to nearly 5,000 for the fall 2007 freshman class. The average SAT score for incoming freshmen also has climbed steadily – from 1119 (combined verbal and math) in 2000 to a projected 1217 for the fall 2007 class. Whitworth has maintained a 13-to-1 student-faculty ratio even as undergraduate enrollment has grown from 1,878 in 2000 to 2,179 in 2005 (the latest year for which enrollment data was available for the rankings).

The financial-aid measures factored into Kiplinger's rankings include total costs for the 2006-07 academic year; cost minus the average need-based aid amount (excluding loans); the average percentage of a student's financial need met by the school's aid package' percentage of the average aid package that comes from grants or scholarships; the cost for a student with no demonstrated need after subtracting the average non-need aid amount (excluding loans); the percentage of all undergraduates without need who received non-need-based aid; and the average amount of debt owed by a graduate who took out an educational loan.

Whitworth provided more than $17.3 million in grants and scholarships to undergraduate students in 2006-07. Eighty-four percent of incoming freshman receive academic scholarships, which average $8,580 per student. The average debt load of $18,246 for Whitworth graduates ranks 13th on Kiplinger's list of top university values and is $1,250 below the national median of $19,500.

"Whitworth is not only a great value but a great investment," Pfursich says. "When students invest in themselves at Whitworth, they can expect personalized attention from faculty, small classes, and abundant opportunities to be involved in athletics, performing arts, clubs and other extra-curricular activities. And they can expect to be prepared for successful careers and lives of purpose."

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private, liberal-arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The college, which has an enrollment of 2,500 students, offers 53 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Contacts:

Fred Pfursich, dean of enrollment services, Whitworth College, (509) 777-4348 or fpfursich@whitworth.edu.

Greg Orwig, director of communications, Whitworth College, (509) 777-4580 or gorwig@whitworth.edu.