Westmont Soars in Latest Rankings
For two decades, U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges list has ranked Westmont as the top Christian liberal arts college in California and the Western U.S. In the 2025 edition, Westmont appears at No. 108 (tied) among all national, not regional, liberal arts colleges. And, Westmont remains one of the top Christian liberal arts colleges in California, listed among 10 other liberal arts schools in the state. Overall, it’s one of only two nationally ranked in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
Westmont is a top performer on the U.S. News Social Mobility ranking, which measures how well schools enrolled and graduated students who received federal Pell Grants. U.S. News also included Westmont in its national rankings of top undergraduate economics programs.
Westmont’s U.S. News score improved in faculty resources rank, student-to-faculty ratio (9.9), faculty salary rank, peer assessment score and college grads earning more than a high school grad (85%).
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News and World Report’s 10 Destination West Coast College Towns says “for many students, attending college in a beach town is an easy sell. Santa Barbara offers a palm-lined beachfront location on the Pacific Ocean.”
Payscale
Payscale rankings report shows Westmont graduates (all alums) in the top 7% for all 1,539 bachelor-degree institutions in the U.S. in mid-career salaries (median after 10+ years of experience), earning an average salary of $146,800. Westmont graduates who only earn a bachelor’s degree are in the top 9% of mid-career earnings with an average salary of $137,900.
Forbes
Forbes’ List of America’s Top Colleges 2025 spotlights Westmont, which is in the top-10 small colleges in California. It is also included in Forbes lists for Best in Private Colleges, in Liberal Arts Universities and in the West.
WorldAtlas
WorldAtlas ranked Santa Barbara as No. 3 in its Best College Towns in California. “Not only beloved for the towns refreshing coastal scenery, picture-perfect architecture, and perfect climate often described as Mediterranean and dubbed the American Riviera, Santa Barbara also boasts great opportunities for higher education.”
Money
Money awarded Westmont as one of America's Best Colleges in its 2024 Best Colleges rating, which analyzed the country’s top 745 four-year colleges with a focus on quality, affordability and student outcomes.
The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2025
The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2025 includes Westmont in its review of more than 300 of the “best and most interesting” colleges in the U.S., Canada and UK.
College Raptor
College Raptor highlights Westmont as a Hidden Gem and No. 3 overall in Hidden Gem D2 Schools, focusing on smaller schools that compete in NCAA DII.