“I was born and raised in Mexico. I always knew I would attend college, but the word “college” was never spoken in my family until they learned I was determined to attend college. Financial aid is helping me reach my goals, for without it, I wouldn't be here.”

— Luis Herrera
Whitman College

Whitman College

Challenging its students to excel in the sciences, the humanities,and the social sciences, Whitman College combines the educational values of the best liberal arts colleges of the East with the outdoor frankness and vigor of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1882, Whitman is a small, private, residential, undergraduate liberal arts and sciences college. The current enrollment of 1,450 men and women draws students from 45 states and 30 countries. With a 10 to 1 student faculty ratio and an average class size of 15, Whitman encourages students to be active participants in their own education. Seventy-fire percent of Whitman students live on the 77 acre campus.

Whitman is located in Walla Walla, a historic community of 30,000, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington. With rich natural terrain at its doorstep, many outdoor activities including cross-country and downhill skiing, backpacking, and rock climbing, abound.

A few other items of note about Whitman College:

• Ranked No. 1 in the nation for "Happiest Students," No. 2 for "School Runs Like Butter," No. 3 for "Best Quality of Life," and No. 9 for "Best Classroom Experience." (Princeton Review "Best 366 Colleges" , 2008)
• Ranked 9 th best liberal arts college in the nation (Forbes, 2008).
• Ranked among the nation's 50 "Best Values" in private liberal arts colleges, and 4th in the West. (Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, April 2007)
• Ranked among the top five co-ed liberal arts colleges in the West. (U.S. News and World Report, 2008)
• Overall graduation rate of 90 percent.
• Whitman was the first college in the nation to require seniors to take an oral comprehensive exam in their major course of study.
• Whitman's library, health center, and computer labs are open 24/7.
• Award-winning graduates include nearly three dozen Fulbright students in the past five years. Nearly 50 percent of Whitman students study abroad.
• One of only three liberal arts colleges in the U.S. in 2004 to have students acheive both the coveted Rhodes Scholarship and Harry S. Truman Fellowship.
• Skiing, snowboarding, cycling, debate, and classical piano national champions in recent years.
• Outdoor Program ranked No. 1 among all Washington college and university programs. (The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash., 2006)
• Ranked in the top three colleges and universities in the West for percentage of giving by the college's alumni to our Annual Fund.
• Ranked 12th in the nation among small colleges in Peace Corps service by alumni.
• A Center for Community Service contributing over 15,000 hours of volunteer work during the school year.

5 Most Popular Majors

1. Biology
2. Psychology
3. Politics
4. English
5. Economics