For the third year in a row, U.S. News and World Report has ranked Pacific Union College among the top ten western regional liberal arts colleges in the United States. In its tenth annual America's Best Colleges issue, which came out on September 9, U.S. News ranked Pacific Union College sixth in its category of western regional liberal arts colleges.

U. S. News also ranked Pacific Union College eighth in its list of best discount values for western regional liberal arts colleges. The best value rankings, which came out in a special section of the September 23 issue of U.S. News, relate the cost of attending an institution to its quality.

To determine its overall rankings, U.S. News tallied the results of 2,730 surveys of college presidents, deans, and admissions directors. The resulting reputational rankings, which were counted as 25% of the overall score, were combined with educational data dealing with the following measures of academic quality: student selectivity (15%), faculty resources (20%), financial resources (10%), retention rate (25% for regional schools like PUC), and alumni giving (5%).

The best value rankings identify where students can get the best education for the money. U.S. News calculated value in two separate sections: the stated or "sticker" price; and the discounted price (tuition plus room, board, fees, books, and estimated personal expenses, minus the average of need-based grants), which is more relevant for private schools. Pacific Union College ranked eighth among the western regional liberal arts colleges in the discounted price category.

PUC President D. Malcolm Maxwell was pleased with the college's ranking. "We are proud to receive this national recognition. The faculty, staff, and administration at Pacific Union College will continue our tradition of striving to provide our collegians with an excellent Christian education at a reasonable price," he said.