![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Princeton-Review-students-on-oval-176x300.jpg\")
Princeton Review Names OBU \u2018Best in the West\u2019<\/h3>\nPrinceton Review Names OBU \u2018Best in the West\u2019<\/h3>\nFor the 11th consecutive year, The Princeton Review named OBU one of the best colleges and universities in the western United States. OBU was one of 126 institutions listed in the \u201cBest in the West\u201d section on the educational research firm\u2019s website feature, \u201c2016 Best Colleges: Region by Region.\u201d<\/p>\n
Colleges selected each year must meet criteria based on academic assessments and student opinions. Princeton Review makes the academic assessments based on data collected through surveys of administrators, staff and counselor advisors. Second, 136,000 students at 380 colleges and universities are independently surveyed through a secure online survey about their school’s academics, administration, student body and themselves. Comments from surveyed students are quoted in the school profiles on The Princeton Review website.<\/p>\n
An OBU Spanish major said, \u201cOBU is a Christian university that focuses on the liberal arts so that students are exposed to many different areas of study in order to succeed in a diverse world.”<\/p>\n
OBU students described their professors as “passionate” and “inspiring,” and one student said, “Professors are engaging, encouraging and happy to help students.”<\/p>\n
OBU is one of seven Oklahoma schools to make the list. The \u201cBest in the West\u201d colleges are located in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.<\/p>\n
For the 22nd consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named OBU as Oklahoma\u2019s highest ranked college on the \u201cBest Regional Colleges of the West\u201d list for 2016. OBU is also ranked in the top ten \u201cGreat Schools, Great Prices\u201d regional colleges list and is the only Oklahoma college listed on the \u201cA-Plus Schools for B Students\u201d list for regional colleges.<\/p>\n
The exclusive rankings, which include more than 1,400 schools, are published in the U.S. News publication of the \u201cBest Colleges 2016.”<\/p>\n
OBU is ranked fourth on the list of \u201cBest Regional Colleges of the West,\u201d retaining its same ranking as 2015. This is the 24th consecutive year OBU has been ranked in the top 10. The rankings system rests on two pillars. It relies on quantitative measures which education experts have proposed as reliable indicators of academic quality, and on the magazine\u2019s nonpartisan view of \u201cwhat matters in education.\u201d<\/p>\n
OBU ranked ninth on the \u201cRegional Colleges of the West\u201d list for the \u201cGreat Schools, Great Prices\u201d rankings, underscoring the affordability and value of an education at OBU. The University moved up one spot from last year\u2019s ranking of 10th. The calculations consider a school\u2019s academic quality, based on its U.S. News \u201cBest Colleges\u201d ranking, and the 2014-15 net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of need-based financial aid.<\/p>\n
OBU is one of only two institutions to qualify on the Regional Colleges of the West list for \u201cA-Plus Schools for B Students.\u201d These rankings are based on two variables, the school\u2019s performance in the \u201cBest Colleges\u201d rankings and the average freshman retention rate. The list includes exceptional colleges and universities which provide resources for academically average students to achieve success.<\/p>\n