La Sierra No. 1 in West for Social Mobility, U.S. News best colleges

La Sierra University • U.S News & World Report 2027 Best Colleges Guide
Regional Universities-West

• No. 1 - Social Mobility
• No. 10 - Best Value
• No. 29 - Overall (tied)
• No. 12 - Top Private Schools (tied)

"We are excited to see the university's placements in the U.S. News & World Report 2027 Best Colleges guide," said La Sierra University President Christon Arthur. "The university is dedicated to uplifting our students and moving them forward, and the Social Mobility category in particular is a testament to the hard work of our faculty and staff in living out our core values, in mentoring and supporting students where they are and empowering them to discover and reach their potential.

"This direct, intentional care continues to be a distinguishing feature of the La Sierra experience and is often cited by our students in remarks about their time here," Arthur said. "As a Christian Seventh-day Adventist institution, helping our students achieve beyond their expectations and grow in all areas of their lives, especially their faith walk, is what most excites us. We welcome all home to our table."

Last year, La Sierra University placed No. 3 in the Social Mobility category, No. 18 for Best Value, and No. 41 in the overall category. Over the past four years, the university's Social Mobility ranking has risen from 11^th in the 2022 guide to its current No. 1 spot in the 2027 Best Colleges guide.

The Regional Universities-West category encompasses 110 schools across 15 states. Three other regional universities categories rank schools in the North, South and Midwest. U.S. News defines regional universities as those institutions that "offer a broad scope of undergraduate and some master's degrees, but few research-oriented doctoral programs."

The Social Mobility category ranks schools based on their ability to enroll and graduate large proportions of students who have received federal Pell grants which are awarded based on federal poverty guidelines. Schools are ranked based on two social mobility ranking factors - Pell Grant graduation rates and Pell Grant graduation rate performance, U.S. News notes.

U.S. News ranks schools using data from its own surveys and from federal government data such as the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. Within each ranking category, schools are scored on up to 17 academic quality and graduate success factors such as graduation rates, first-year retention rates, earnings by major, financial resources, student-faculty ratios and other measures. A standardized scale based on the data is used for fair comparisons across different measures, U.S. News notes in an overview of its methodology. The result is a data-driven comparison of more than 1,700 colleges and universities.