Woodbury University Gets High Marks from U.S. News & World Report for Global Student Body, Welcome Mat for Veterans

Ranks 2nd in Percentage of International Students and in Top 30 for Veterans - 58th Overall Among Western Regional Universities. End Quote

Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA (1888PressRelease) September 15, 2016 - Woodbury University today announced that it placed 58th among Western regional universities in U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings of colleges and universities (www.usnews.com/colleges). According to the publication, Woodbury has the second highest percentage of international students -- 25 percent -- among its 93 Western regional peers and the highest in California. The university is ranked as 31st Best College in the West for veterans of the armed services.

Overall, U.S. News noted Woodbury's 80 percent retention rate and small class size; 82 percent of classes include 15 students or less, and the university maintains an 8:1 student/faculty ratio.

"The 2016 U.S. News & World Report rankings affirm our strategic focus on diversity and inclusion," said Dr. David Steele-Figueredo, Woodbury University President. "Schools in the West are the most diverse in the nation, and as we attract students from around the world, we are proud that our student body is economically and ethnically diverse as well. Woodbury likewise warmly embraces veterans, and the rankings underscore our proactive efforts to thoroughly integrate into our educational program those who have served in the military.

"Located in the heart of the Southern California creative economy, we are committed to transforming students into innovative professionals," Steele-Figueredo said. "As our student/faculty ratio attests, we offer a personal, interactive learning environment that focuses on innovative, practice-based professional and liberal arts education. We add distinct value with our emphasis on faculty-student interaction and active support for student development and achievement."

U.S. News' "Best Colleges for Veterans" rankings include only numerically ranked schools that are in the top half of their U.S. News ranking category and had 20 or more students who used GI Bill benefits to partially or fully finance their tuition and fees during 2015-2016. Schools must meet both of the following criteria: the institution is certified for the GI Bill, and it participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program. As described by Military.com, the Yellow Ribbon Program, a provision of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, can help students attend often expensive private schools at little or no cost to themselves.

"In a global culture, befriending and learning to collaborate with students from other countries can be rewarding personally and professionally," U.S. News says of its ranking of international student populations. "Here, [we have identified] the national universities and national liberal arts colleges with the largest proportions of international undergrads during the 2015-2016 academic year."

First published in 1983, the U.S. News ranking system uses quantitative measures that education experts have proposed as reliable indicators of academic quality. Schools are categorized by their mission as defined by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2010. Institutions in Woodbury's "Regional University" category offer a broad scope of undergraduate degrees and some master's degree programs but few, if any, doctoral programs. Regional universities are further divided and ranked in four geographical groups: North, South, Midwest and West. U.S. News then gathers data from each college on up to 16 indicators of academic excellence. Each factor is assigned a weight that reflects its judgment about how much a measure matters. Finally, the colleges and universities in each category are ranked against their peers, based on their composite weighted score. The complete report is available from U.S. News for a fee.

About Woodbury University
Founded in 1884, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Southern California. The university ranks 15th among the nation's "25 Colleges That Add the Most Value," according to Money Magazine, and is a 2016-17 College of Distinction. With campuses in Burbank/Los Angeles and San Diego, the university offers bachelor's degrees from the School of Architecture, School of Business, School of Media, Culture & Design, and College of Liberal Arts, along with a Master of Business Administration, Master of Architecture, Master of Interior Architecture and Master of Science in Architecture. The San Diego campus offers Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture, Master of Interior Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture degrees, as well as a Master of Architecture degree with a concentration in Real Estate Development. Visit woodbury.edu for more information.

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