WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Sept. 13, 2017 — West Liberty University scored well in the 2018 U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges publication, released this past Tuesday.

“The annual U.S. News and World Report ranking continues to recognize West Liberty University for its academic strength, and we are proud to offer a quality, affordable, academically strong education to our students,” said Dr. Stephen Greiner, WLU president.

When searching schools by state, WLU comes in as the highest ranked public university in the Mountain State.

When broken out into various U.S. News lists, WLU ranks at the number two spot in Best Colleges in West Virginia, seventh in the Top Public Schools in Regional Colleges in the South, number 37 in the Best Regional Colleges in the South and 14 for Best Colleges for Veterans.

The U.S. News rankings, looks at colleges and universities across the nation and rank them according to established criteria and an annual U.S. News statistical report survey, completed by most colleges. WLU scored high in its student retention rate and achieved a higher than predicted graduation rate for 2016, the year that the numbers reflect.

U.S. News breaks its overall college rankings into four categories: National Universities, National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities and Regional Colleges, then further delineates by regions.

The lists focus on academic excellence, with schools ranked on up to 15 measures of academic quality and emphasize student outcomes.

West Liberty University is West Virginia’s oldest institution of higher education and offers nearly 70 undergraduate majors and 30 programs. Graduate programs include the Master of Arts in Education, the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, the Master of Professional Studies, the Master of Science in Criminology, the online MBA and the new MA/MS in Biology. For more information on WLU, please call 1.866.WESTLIB or visit westliberty.edu.