Top Rated West Private Colleges
These are the top ranked private four-year colleges in the West. Leading the rankings for 2027 as the highest ranked private college in the West is Stanford University. Learn how the Best Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
Brigham Young University
- Private 4 Year
- Provo, UT
-
4.4 | 17 reviews
- Dec 16 application deadline
BYU is a private university known for undergraduate accounting, business, and foreign languages. Most students are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and follow a campus honor code.
- SAT Range 1270-1460
- Avg GPA 3.89
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $16,694
Westmont College
- Private 4 Year
- Santa Barbara, CA
-
| 0 reviews
Westmont is a private Christian liberal arts college known for undergraduate programs in the sciences and humanities. The residential hillside campus overlooks the Pacific Ocean above Santa Barbara.
- SAT Range 1240-1450
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $32,172
Pepperdine University
- Private 4 Year
- Malibu, CA
-
3.8 | 4 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Pepperdine is a private Christian university known for undergraduate business, communication, and international studies. The Malibu campus overlooks the Pacific Ocean from hillsides above the coast.
- SAT Range 1290-1450
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $66,585
Westminster University
- Private 4 Year
- Salt Lake City, UT
-
| 0 reviews
Westminster is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and health sciences. The urban campus sits near the Wasatch Mountains in Salt Lake City.
- SAT Range 1070-1310
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 67%
- Net Price $26,844
Gonzaga University
- Private 4 Year
- Spokane, WA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Gonzaga is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and engineering. The campus runs along the Spokane River in eastern Washington.
- SAT Range 1190-1380
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $40,117
University of Puget Sound
- Private 4 Year
- Tacoma, WA
-
4.0 | 5 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music and the natural sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in Tacoma near Commencement Bay.
- SAT Range 1170-1380
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $43,188
Lewis & Clark College
- Private 4 Year
- Portland, OR
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Lewis & Clark is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate international affairs and environmental studies. The wooded campus sits in the hills of southwest Portland.
- SAT Range 1210-1390
- Avg GPA 3.95
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $37,999
Linfield University
- Private 4 Year
- McMinnville, OR
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Linfield is a private university known for undergraduate nursing and wine studies. The residential campus sits in the small college town of McMinnville in Oregon's Willamette Valley.
- SAT Range 1050-1210
- Avg GPA 3.71
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $29,936
University of Redlands
- Private 4 Year
- Redlands, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 1 application deadline
University of Redlands is a private university known for undergraduate music, business, and the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies. The residential campus sits in Redlands in Southern California's Inland Empire.
- SAT Range 1107-1350
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $28,482
Azusa Pacific University
- Private 4 Year
- Azusa, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jun 1 application deadline
Azusa Pacific is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and ministry programs. The suburban campus sits at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles.
- SAT Range 983-1238
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $26,143
Point Loma Nazarene University
- Private 4 Year
- San Diego, CA
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Point Loma Nazarene is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, biology, and business. The campus sits on coastal bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
- SAT Range 1175-1365
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $39,696
California Lutheran University
- Private 4 Year
- Thousand Oaks, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Cal Lutheran is a private university known for undergraduate business, psychology, and communication. The suburban campus in Thousand Oaks is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
- SAT Range 1150-1330
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $32,774
Willamette University
- Private 4 Year
- Salem, OR
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Willamette is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate political science and government. The historic campus borders the Oregon State Capitol grounds in downtown Salem.
- SAT Range 1240-1440
- Avg GPA 3.97
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $29,421
Saint Mary's College of California
- Private 4 Year
- Moraga, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Saint Mary's is a private Catholic college known for undergraduate business and a Great Books liberal arts program. The residential campus lies in the hills of Moraga in the East Bay.
- SAT Range 1070-1253
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $35,332
Northwest University
- Private 4 Year
- Kirkland, WA
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Northwest University is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, ministry, and business. The suburban campus sits in Kirkland east of Seattle.
- SAT Range 1040-1350
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $24,251
Seattle Pacific University
- Private 4 Year
- Seattle, WA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 11 application deadline
Seattle Pacific is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The urban campus sits in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1050-1320
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $25,232
Regis University
- Private 4 Year
- Denver, CO
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Regis is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and business. The urban campus is in northwest Denver.
- SAT Range 1020-1220
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $21,618
Dominican University of California
- Private 4 Year
- San Rafael, CA
-
2.5 | 2 reviews
A private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and business. The San Rafael campus sits in Marin County north of San Francisco.
- SAT Range 1210-1300
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $37,456