Whitman receives top financial grade from Forbes

When it comes to financial fitness, Whitman gets an A+.

In the Aug. 13 issue of Forbes, Whitman was ranked No. 51 among 925 private, nonprofit colleges and universities graded on financial stability. The college received a GPA of 4.341; the maximum GPA was 4.5. Whitman’s grade places the college among the top 6 percent of higher education institutions in the nation. Other schools receiving an A+ grade include Princeton University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and Yale University.

Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Peter Harvey said, “The grade we received is an affirmation of the work that the Trustees and the administration do to ensure that the college has sound financial footing.”

Whitman College had the highest financial grade of any college or university in Washington state. University of Puget Sound had the next highest rank in the state, coming in at No. 157 on the list with a GPA of 3.303 and a B grade.

The financial grades supplemented an article titled “Is Your College Going Broke? The Most And Least Financially Fit Schools In America.”  The schools were graded based on nine variables to determine financial strength and operational soundness.