There are lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its Top Far Western US Region Colleges ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Our analysis looked at 401 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best in terms of overall quality. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on over 20 objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as student-to-faculty ratio, average graduate earnings, and graduation rate.
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!
Stanford University tops this year’s ranking as the best school in the Far Western US Region for overall quality. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 4,821 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from Stanford make an average of $97,798 a year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Claremont McKenna College. The school came in at #2 in the Far Western US Region on this year’s overall quality ranking.Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 441 students in 2020-2021.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 85%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Claremont McKenna go into careers with an average salary of $86,571 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 14,685 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley make an average of $80,364 per year during the early years of their career.
A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list means University of Southern California is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17,749 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 77%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from USC is $83,426 during the early years of their career.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Samuel Merritt University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in the Far Western US Region . Located in Oakland, California, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 918 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Samuel Merritt University is $123,966 during the early years of their career.
Presidio Graduate School ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. Presidio Graduate School is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 68 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #7, California Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. California Institute of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 527 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 3 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Caltech go into careers with an average salary of $112,166 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large public school awarded 14,587 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 77%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UCLA go into careers with an average salary of $73,744 during the early years of their career.
Harvey Mudd College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. Harvey Mudd College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Claremont, California that handed out 197 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. During the early years of their career, graduates from Harvey Mudd College make an average of $108,988 a year.
University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking. USAHS is a private for-profit institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,531 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. UW Seattle is located in Seattle, Washington and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15,234 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The low student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from UW Seattle make an average of $68,925 a year.
With a ranking of #12, Fuller Theological Seminary did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. Fuller is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 580 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%
Pomona College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #13. Pomona College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Claremont, California that handed out 395 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Pomona make an average of $69,149 per year during the early years of their career.
University of Western States landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking. Western States Chiropractic College is located in Portland, Oregon and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 522 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. During the early years of their career, graduates from Western States Chiropractic College make an average of $32,651 a year.
Loma Linda University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking. Loma Linda University is located in Loma Linda, California and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,578 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Loma Linda University go into careers with an average salary of $83,878 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #16, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list.La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 11,974 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UCSD is $74,771 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #17, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. This large public school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 7,875 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UCSB go into careers with an average salary of $66,491 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #18, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Davis, California, the large public school handed out 11,996 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis is $69,766 during the early years of their career.
University of California - San Francisco did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #19. Located in San Francisco, California, the small public school handed out 1,061 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #20, Palo Alto University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Palo Alto, California. It awarded 340 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Pacific Graduate School of Psychology go into careers with an average salary of $70,027 during the early years of their career.
Santa Clara University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region ranking. Santa Clara University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Santa Clara, California that handed out 2,849 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 84%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from SCU go into careers with an average salary of $93,291 during the early years of their career.
Fielding Graduate University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. Fielding is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 356 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #23, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12,345 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UC Irvine make an average of $71,961 per year during the early years of their career.
Keck Graduate Institute ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 337 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
West Coast University-Center for Graduate Studies ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Los Angeles, California, the small private for-profit school awarded 150 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from West Coast University-Center for Graduate Studies make an average of $97,371 a year.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
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