Skip to main content

September 2014

Santa Clara University Ranks No. 2 of Master’s Universities in the West, Highest Graduation Rate

Santa Clara University is ranked second among master’s universities in the West according to U.S. News and World Report. SCU earned an overall score of 98 out of 100, a dramatic increase from 90 just five years ago. At 94 percent, SCU has the highest freshman retention rate of any master’s university in the country and also has the highest graduation rate in the West, at 84 percent.

Santa Clara, Calif., Sept. 9, 2014-- Santa Clara University is ranked second among master’s universities in the West according to U.S. News and World Report. SCU earned an overall score of 98 out of 100, a dramatic increase from 90 just five years ago. At 94 percent, SCU has the highest freshman retention rate of any master’s university in the country and also has the highest graduation rate in the West, at 84 percent.

SCU made great strides in several key areas this year.

  • 80 percent of SCU freshmen were in the top 25 percent of their high school class in 2012, up from 75 percent in 2011.
  • More students recognize the quality of an SCU education and are applying. SCU’s acceptance rate dropped to 50 percent.
  • SCU cultivates proud and generous alumni and saw an increase in its average alumni giving rate from 18 percent in 2012 to 22 percent this year.
  • SCU’s School of Engineering was named one of the best undergraduate engineering programs, coming in 14th among the selective programs ranked.
  • SCU’s Leavey School of Business was also listed as one of the top 100 Best Business Programs, ranking 62.

The Top Five Master’s Universities in the West
1. Trinity University (Texas), score: 100
2. Santa Clara University (Calif.), score: 98
3. Gonzaga University (Wash.), score: 89
4. Loyola Marymount University (Calif.), score: 89
5. Seattle University (Calif.), score: 82


About Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 8,685 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master's universities, California's oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.


Media Contact:

Marika Krause | SCU Media Relations | mekrause@scu.edu | 408-829-4836