La Sierra University moves ahead in Best Colleges rankings

  School of Business  

U.S. News & World Report has included La Sierra University as one of America's Best Colleges in its 2015 rankings. The magazine's much-anticipated rankings were released to the public on Sept. 9. This is the 30th edition of U.S. News' annual college rankings, widely considered among the most influential in the field.

The Tom & Vi Zapara School of Business on the La Sierra University campus.
The Tom & Vi Zapara School of Business on the La Sierra University campus.

La Sierra rose 32 spots this year in the Regional Universities: West category. The category includes 121 universities, both public and private, from Texas to Alaska.

Rankings are based on extensive data submitted annually by each institution. Among the factors considered are class size, faculty qualification, admission selectivity, reputation among peers, financial resources, retention rate, alumni support, and graduation rate, both expected and actual.

La Sierra University saw significantly improved scores in graduation and retention rates, peer assessment by administrators at other schools, class size, student-to-faculty ratio, and student selectivity.

“We are very pleased to be ranked among America's best colleges," says La Sierra's president, Randal Wisbey. 'We are especially proud that of the finding that our students graduate at a higher rate than expected."
La Sierra's 2014-15 academic year begins on Sept. 29. Last year's enrollment was nearly 2,500 in undergraduate and graduate programs.