U.S. News ranks CLU 18th in West

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Aug. 17, 2010) California Lutheran University is ranked 18th on the 2011 U.S. News & World Report list of top schools in the West offering bachelor's and master's degrees.

CLU has placed among the top tier of Western Regional Universities for the past 16 years.

The latest rankings were posted today on the U.S. News & World Report Web site at http://www.usnews.com and will be featured in the September edition of U.S. News & World Report magazine and the "2011 America's Best Colleges" guidebook.

In the U.S. News report, CLU maintained a spot in the top tier of institutions in 15 Western states based on high scores in the categories measured. CLU's overall score increased over its assessment last year. CLU's selectivity continues to increase with improvements in freshman SAT scores as well as a decrease in the university's acceptance rate.

"These results show that we continue to build on our academic success," said CLU President Chris Kimball. "Our emphasis on providing a high quality educational experience has enhanced our reputation among students and the higher education community."

In Forbes.com's America's Best Colleges 2010 report released Aug. 11, CLU ranked 191st among all private and public undergraduate institutions in the United States, an improvement over its 2009 ranking of 210 and its 2008 ranking of 251. The Forbes report was compiled in conjunction with the Center for College Affordability and Productivity as an alternative to the U.S. News rankings. It uses different criteria and ranks institutions based on the quality of education they provide and students' experience and achievements. It doesn't break the rankings into subcategories. The report is available at http://www.forbes.com.