Albertson Tops, Nazarene 3rd In Report On Best Colleges

Canyon County has two of the three top liberal arts colleges in the West, according to rankings by U.S. News and World Report.

Albertson College of Idaho in Caldwell claimed the top spot, and Nampa’s Northwest Nazarene College took third.

U.S. News and World Report announced its rankings in preparation for its 11th annual “America’s Best Colleges” issues, which will be on newsstands Monday. Most of the rankings are listed by groups of colleges.

Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., ranked No. 2.

After a year in the No. 2 spot, Albertson College reclaimed the top position. It is the fifth time in six years the college has been in the top five.

Northwest Nazarene moved into the top three from last year’s ranking of No. 9. It also was rated fifth for best value among liberal arts colleges in the West.

U.S. News and World Report determines a school’s rank by combining statistical data with the results of a magazine survey. Statistics include academic reputation, students selectivity, faculty and financial resources and graduation rates.