Aerial view of the Whitman College campus

Whitman is among the nation's best colleges for students seeking a high quality—and life-changing—education. Our dedication to a strong liberal arts education and our students has landed us on the most selective college rankings and best-of-the-best lists year after year.

Ways to Connect with Whitman Now

Colleges That Change Lives

“...when asked what kind of person should come here, the first thing a Whitman student is likely to say is, ‘If you’re not willing to get involved, don’t bother to come here.’ By ‘involved’ that student would mean in one’s studies, with one another, with teachers, and in campus life.” – Colleges That Change Lives

The Princeton Review 

The Princeton Review results are based on surveys from students across the country for nearly 400 colleges.

Best Value Colleges: 2021

Best Schools for Making an Impact: #2 — 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017

Green Colleges: #9 — 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017

The Best Colleges: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017

Best Western Colleges: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017

Colleges that Pay You Back: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017

Most Accessible Professors: #6 — 2020, #6 — 2019, #3 — 2018

Best Classroom Experience: #15 — 2018

U.S. News and World Report Annual Best College Rankings

Colleges and universities are ranked on 16 measures of academic quality by U.S. News and World Report.

Nation's Top Liberal Arts Colleges: #47 — 2021; #46 — 2020, #43 — 2019, #43 — 2018

Top Liberal Arts College in the Pacific Northwest: 2020

Nation’s Best Value Schools: #79 — 2020, #77 — 2019

High School Counselor Rankings: #38 — 2019

Niche.com

Niche provides an in-depth profile on every college in America using a letter grade scale.  

Top Private Universities: 2021

Best Colleges in Washington: #2 — 2021

Best Liberal Arts Colleges: #39 — 2021

Kiplinger's Personal Finance's Top 300 Best College Values

Kiplinger names 300 standout public and private schools, based on quality and affordability. New rankings have not been released since 2019. 

Best Values in Liberal Arts Colleges: #37 — 2019, #25 — 2018, #36 — 2017

Top Best College Values: #64 — 2019, #64 — 2017

Forbes, America's Top Colleges

Forbes's list of 650 top colleges aims to measure what they believe students care about most. New rankings have not been released since 2019. 

Top 25 Colleges in the West: 2019, 2018, and 2017

BestColleges.com

BestColleges.com partners with HigerEducation.com to provide students with direct connections to schools and programs suiting their educational goals through their program rankings.

Best Colleges in the State of Washington: #2 — 2018

Environment America

Environment America is a national network of 29 state environmental groups that focuses on timely, targeted action to improve the quality of the environment. In 2020, the Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group named Whitman College No. 4 in the nation for renewable electricity.

Walla Walla: An Amazing Place to Live and Learn

Whitman College students talking around a table

Walla Walla has made many of its own best-of-the-best lists, including best small town, best Main Street, best food, best road trip destination and friendliest small town.