Just after Westminster College of Fulton was ranked as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, a new rating by Washington Monthly ranks Westminster as the top liberal arts college in Missouri.
Westminster ranked 53rd of 254 schools evaluated throughout the nation by Washington Monthly magazine.
Another Missouri college ranked by Washington Monthly was William Jewell College in Liberty, which ranked 74th in the nation.
The ranking comes in Washington Monthly's just-released 2012 College Guide and Rankings.
The Washington Monthly's rankings are based on three factors. They included the number of low-income students and how the college helped them earn degrees. Colleges that are both effective and inexpensive receive the highest marks in the magazine's rankings.
"Institutions such as Westminster that are keeping prices down so students can earn diplomas without being saddled with massive debt did well in this category," said George Wolf, vice president and dean of enrollment services at Westminster.
One factor that helped Westminster in the rankings were the number of students receiving Pell Grants. In comparison with the previous year, the percentage of Westminster students receiving Pell Grants increased from 21 percent to 28 percent. Pell Grants go to students from low-income families.