September 2015

 Santa Clara, Calif., Sept. 9, 2015-- Santa Clara University is the No. 2 “Regional University” in the West according to the 2016 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, earning an overall score of 98 out of 100. SCU’s first-year retention rate of 95 percent ranks the highest of any master’s university in the country, and the 85 percent graduation rate is the highest in the West.

SCU maintained its No. 2 overall ranking from last year and made great strides in several key areas for the latest evaluation.

• Santa Clara University’s School of Engineering jumped two spots from 2015 to No. 12 in the top engineering programs offered by master’s universities across the country.
• SCU’s Leavey School of Business was one of the 100 Best Business Programs at No. 61.
• 86 percent of SCU first-year students were in the top 25 percent of their high school class, up from 80 percent last year.
• SCU cultivates proud and generous alumni and maintained its average alumni giving rate at 22 percent this year, one of only two schools in its category with a rate above 20 percent.
• SCU was one of 82 colleges and universities known for a strong commitment to teaching undergraduates.

The survey compared SCU with 617 other universities that offer a full range of undergraduate programs and master’s degrees, but few doctoral programs. The Western region includes master’s level colleges and universities from Colorado to the West Coast, including Texas.

The Top Five Master’s Universities in the West

1. Trinity University (Texas), score: 100

2. Santa Clara University (Calif.), score: 98

3.  Loyola Marymount University (Calif.), score: 95

4.  Gonzaga University (Wash.), score: 89

5. Mills College (Calif.), score: 85

The “Best Colleges” rankings can be found on the U.S. News & World Report website. The 2016 edition of the Best Colleges guidebook will be in stores Sept. and is available a USNews.com. The print edition of the "Best Colleges 2016" guidebook can be purchased online now or on newsstands Sept. 29.

SCU is featured here: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/santa-clara-1326

About Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 9,000 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering; master’s degrees in business, education, counseling psychology, pastoral ministry, and theology; and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.

Media Contact

Tina Vossugh | SCU Media Relations | tvossugh@scu.edu | 408-554-5126