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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.
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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.
The Best Colleges: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016
Green Colleges: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016
Colleges that Pay You Back: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016
Best Western Colleges: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016
Impact Schools: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016
Best Classroom Experience: #15 — 2018
Most Accessible Professors: #6 — 2020, #6 — 2019, #3 — 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.
Top Liberal Arts College in the Pacific Northwest: 2020
Nation's Top Liberal Arts Colleges: #47 — 2021; #46 — 2020, #43 — 2019, #43 — 2018
Nation’s Best Value Schools: #79 — 2020, #77 — 2019
High School Counselor Rankings: #38 — 2019
Kiplinger's Personal Finance's Top 300 Best College Values
Kiplinger names 300 standout public and private schools, based on quality and affordability. 2020 rankings have not yet been released.
Best Values in Liberal Arts Colleges: #37 — 2019, #25 — 2018, #36 — 2017,
Top Best College Values: #64 — 2019, #64 — 2017, #25 — 2016
Forbes, America's Top Colleges
Forbes's list of 650 top colleges aims to measure what they believe students care about most. 2020 rankings have not yet been released.
Top 25 College's in the West: 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016
Great College Deals
Great College Deals helps high schoolers and other prospective college students with information about top-ranked universities offering accredited degrees at competitive tuition rates.
Top Most Beautiful Colleges in the Pacific Northwest: #3 — 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
Best Professors: #10 — 2016
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
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.