Westmont Holds Onto Top-Tier In Rankings

Westmont remains in the top tier among the nation's top liberal arts
colleges in the 2008 edition of U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best
Colleges" released today. Westmont tied with 10 other colleges with a
ranking of 106. This is the third straight year the college has been in the
top tier.

Only seven other liberal arts colleges in California are ranked in the first
tier: Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Scripps, Occidental, Pitzer
and Thomas Aquinas Colleges.

Westmont is just one of three top liberal arts colleges among the Council
for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) and the only one in California
to be included in the top tier.

Joyce Luy, dean of admissions, says she is particularly pleased with the
college's selectivity and alumni giving rate. Westmont's acceptance rate for
2006 rose to 65 percent while the average alumni giving rate held steady at
36 percent.

"We are certainly pleased to be recognized by U.S. News as one of the top
liberal arts colleges in the nation," says Luy. "It's not a perfect ranking
system, and it is my hope college-bound students would not select a college
solely by this list."

Luy says the U.S. News rankings do not consider such factors as community,
spiritual life or a student's relationships with faculty, which are
particularly important in a student's decision to attend Westmont.

Orientation for first-year students and their parents begins Thursday, Aug.
23, and classes for all students begin Monday, Aug. 27.