Considered one of the top colleges in the western United States for five consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report, Westminster College is the only independent, non denominational college in Utah. The magazine also listed the college among the top regional public and private colleges and universities in the western U.S. for "quality education at a reasonable cost."
Founded in 1875 as The Salt Lake Collegiate Institute, Westminster became a four-year college in 1944 and a non denominational college governed by a board of trustees in 1974. Twenty-two buildings comprise the campus, including four residence halls. The college operates on a semester system (fall, spring, summer) with a May term.
There are four schools within the college-the School of Arts and Sciences, the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business, the School of Education, and St. Mark's-Westminster School of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Peterson's Guide to Competitive Colleges lists Westminster College in the top 10 percent of 3,600 public and private colleges and universities nationwide. And according to David L. Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Westminster College is "an institution that has momentum and a very promising trajectory."
Westminster College provides an idyllic academic enclave in a thriving city. Just a few minutes drive to downtown Salt Lake City, the college offers all the advantages of a small college coupled with the benefits of a city with a rich cultural calendar.
Westminster's student body numbers total 2, 300 with more than 350 students living on campus. The student body comprises 77 percent undergraduates and 23 percent graduates. The college has 100 full-time faculty. More than 80 percent of faculty hold doctoral or professional terminal degrees. The faculty is 50 percent male and 50 percent female-the highest among schools in Utah.
The college offers 27 undergraduate majors and programs, conferring B.A. and B.S. degrees. Westminster offers four graduate programs and several post-baccalaureate certificate programs.
The 1999-2000 academic year was Westminster College's first to compete in the Frontier Conference. It also marks the return of the men's basketball program to the college after a 20-year absence. The college's athletic program is also represented by women's volleyball and basketball and men's soccer.