University News and Recognition

With campuses in North America, Europe and Asia, we have been recognized as a leader in international education for more than 30 years. Visit our international campus sites for more on the national honors, accreditation and recognitions received in their local regions.

U.S. News and World Report

Webster's Study Abroad programs ranked in the top 2 percent of the 1,500 colleges and universities surveyed in the “America's Best Colleges” 2020 edition of U.S. News & World Report. The distinction recognizes Study Abroad programs that involve substantial academic work for credit and considerable interaction between the student and the culture.

Institute of International Education

The Institute of International Education's (IIE) 2018 Open Doors report ranked Webster among the top universities in Missouri for sending students to study abroad and for hosting international students. The report also ranks Webster in the top third of all institutions for hosting international students and sending students to study abroad.

Great Value Colleges

Webster University is among the Great Value Colleges' Top 30 Study Abroad Programs . Webster’s program was praised for its array of choices ranging from locations in Asia and Europe to opportunities for short academic trips to Cuba, Scotland and other countries.

U.S. News and World Report

Webster University continues to be ranked in the top 25% of the Regional Universities-Midwest category of the U.S. News and World Report college rankings. The publication has also recognized Webster in several other categories of distinction, including as one of the "Best for Veterans," "Top Performer" in social mobility, "A+ Schools for B Students," and "Best Value."

Webster's Study Abroad program was one of only 56 out of 1,500 institutions placed on U.S. News & World Report's 2020 ranking. This is the 13th time Webster has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report for its study abroad programs since 2003.

Washington Monthly

Washington Monthly magazine in 2019 again named Webster University as among the best universities in the country in its 2019 College Guide and Rankings, which ranked the best national universities that help “non-wealthy” students attain marketable degrees. It also listed Webster in its "Best Bang for the Buck: Midwest Universities" category. The magazine measured the “public good” that a university or college contributes in order to come up with the ranking, examining social mobility of students, research, and public service.

Forbes Magazine

In 2019, Webster was recognized among America's Top Colleges by Forbes magazine for the ninth consecutive year.

Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education 2020 includes Webster in its ranking of the top institutions in the country.

WalletHub

In 2019 WalletHub named Webster University the second-best university in Missouri, the 36th best in the Midwest, and the 159th best in the United States for undergraduate students who want to earn the best degree at the lowest possible cost.

CollegeNET

CollegeNET's Social Mobility Index found Webster excels in offering accessible and affordable bachelor’s degrees for students from households that earn less than the average national income. Importantly, the study concludes that Webster graduates typically increase their earning potential by securing employment that increases their income level from precollegiate levels. In fact, the University is one of the best in the country for increasing social mobility for these students, ranking first among all St. Louis regional institutions and sixth in the nation among independent institutions.

Phi Theta Kappa Society Transfer Honor Roll

For the fifth consecutive year in 2021, Webster University was named to the Phi Theta Kappa Society Transfer Honor Roll for its work in helping students transfer from community colleges into baccalaureate programs. Webster is one of only 150 institutions, and one of four universities in Missouri, to make the list.

Returning Adults and Non-Traditional Students

College Factual ranked Webster University one of the best schools in the nation for returning adults and other non-traditional students in its 2019 Best Colleges for Non-Traditional Students analysis. The ranking analyzed 1159 colleges and universities.

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)

Seven of Webster's School of Education graduate degree programs are awarded national recognition by their respective Specialized Professional Associations (SPA) under the umbrella of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Animation

Animation Career Review ranks Webster University among the best animation programs in the Midwest, with the latest ranking in 2021.

Founded in 1915, Webster's main campus in St. Louis is an exciting and vibrant residential campus that serves as an international hub for faculty, staff, students, alumni and influential community leaders. The University is a proud member of the communities it serves and has been recognized as a partner in the growth and development of its campus community in Webster Groves and Greater St. Louis.

A Top MBA Program

Webster's MBA program is ranked among the largest in the greater St. Louis region by the St. Louis Business Journal.

WalletHub

In 2019 WalletHub named Webster University the second-best university in Missouri, the 36th best in the Midwest, and the 159th best in the United States for undergraduate students who want to earn the best degree at the lowest possible cost.

St. Louis Graduates: Degrees with Less Debt

The nonprofit organization St. Louis Graduates in 2020 ranked Webster as one of five universities in Missouri and Southern Illinois that stand out for enrolling significant percentages of low-income students and Black students and supporting them to graduate with less debt. The reported data indicate that Webster has the highest percentage of Black undergraduate students, the highest graduation rate for Black students, and the highest graduation rate for Black Pell Grant recipients among the five schools named in the report.

Women's Foundation of Greater St. Louis

Webster University was named one of the best employers in St. Louis for women by the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis (WFSTL) in 2019. The recognition is based on the results of the annual “Women in the Workplace: Employment Scorecard initiative” survey.

Webster University’s non-MBA online business programs in the George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology was ranked at 137 in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of national online programs. Non-MBA programs include degrees in forensic accounting, finance, health care management, human resources development, human resources management, management and leadership, health administration and marketing.

The Economist recognized Webster University as a leader in online education in a set of studies based on research conducted after most universities and colleges switched to fully online classes at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

U.S. News & World Report named three of Webster University’s online programs among the best in the country in its 2019 Best Online Programs report, highlighting Webster's online MBA, online business and online graduate education programs.

Webster's online BA in Educational Studies program was ranked among the best in the nation in a 2021 OnlineU.com report.

In 2019 Study.com ranked Webster University 30th in the nation among accredited colleges with online programs, and its online MBA program was ranked second in the nation.

Webster University and the U.S. Department of Defense have worked together for 45 years to provide high-quality and cost-effective graduate programs at military installations and other locations throughout the country.

Our distinguished alumni include more than 200 active duty and retired generals and admirals, including several at the Pentagon and Joint Chiefs of Staff and thousands of military personnel as well as retired military.

U.S. News & World Report Best for Vets

In its “America’s Best Colleges 2024” list, U.S. News & World Report recognized Webster as among the best universities and colleges in the United States for veterans, and Webster is continually recognized in this category.

U.S. Veterans Magazine

In 2021 Webster University was again recognized as a Top Veteran-Friendly School by U.S. Veterans Magazine.

Webster University is known for providing an environment in which diverse students can be successful and earn degrees; 52 percent of Webster graduate students self-identify as an ethnic minority.

Economic Diversity and Social Mobility

In its “America’s Best Colleges 2022” list, U.S. News & World Report recognized Webster for its economic diversity and success with students who receive Pell grants. Webster was also recognized as a "Best Value" school and is among the "Best Colleges for Veterans" list, as well as acknowledging Webster on its inaugural Social Mobility ranking, which recognizes schools that best serve underrepresented students.

Diverse Issues in Higher Education (DIHE)

In 2018 DIHE again recognized Webster University as one of the top universities in the country for awarding master's degrees to several minority groups. DIHE's annual "Top 100 Degree Producers" survey is the only national report of graduate degrees earned by African American, Hispanic, Asian American and American Indian students by all traditional, nonprofit U.S. higher education institutions.

For 27 years Webster has consistently achieved top rankings since DIHE began publishing the survey in 1991, and ranks first among U.S. nonprofit, independent institutions in graduating master's-level African-American and Total Minority Students for All Disciplines Combined. In the 2018 survey Webster also was recognized as:

• First in African American master's degrees nationally among independent nonprofit and public institutions, and second overall for all universities (including for-profits).
• First for graduate degrees conferred to African American, Native American, Hispanic/Latino and Asian American students for all higher-education institutions in Missouri.
• Third nationally for master's degrees conferred to all minority men combined, and second among Black or African-American men.
• The only Missouri institution to be listed in the top 100 for Hispanic/Latino students.
• The only Missouri institution to be listed in the top 100 for the “Total Minority Masters” category.

Women in the Workplace

Webster University was named one of the best employers in St. Louis for women, according to the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis (WFSTL) “Women in the Workplace: Employment Scorecard initiative” based on its 2018 survey.

Paraquad

Webster University was one of four St. Louis organizations honored for its accessibility efforts in 2013 by Paraquad, a nonprofit organization that has offered services to the disabled for more than 40 years. Webster was recognized for work on its main campus and its website to make classes, offices and information more accessible to those with disabilities.

NCAA

Webster University competes in several sports in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) as a NCAA Division III school, where in 2021 Webster University won the SLIAC All-Sports Trophy for the 19th time. By winning the All-Sports Trophy and the SLIAC Sportsmanship Award in the same year, Webster University became just the second school to claim the SLIAC Commissioner's Cup.

Chess

Webster University's chess team is the top-ranked collegiate chess team in the United States, having won its fifth straight College Chess national championship in 2017 — the President's Cup, also known as the Final Four of Collegiate Chess — and having qualified for the Final Four eight consecutive years. The team won the top spot at the annual Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship for seven consecutive years. Individual team members also represent their countries and Webster at the U.S. Open and other prestigious international championships, where they have achieved national and international titles. Webster was the first college ever to have three students in the same year represent their countries at the Chess World Cup.

Forensics and Debate

Webster's Forensics program received special recognition in 2013 from the American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament for Webster students qualifying for this elite national individual events tournament every year for 15 consecutive years. The program and its teams have continued to see success on the national level, most recently winning the team sweepstakes award and seeing a repeat national championship at the 2017 Pi Kappa Delta National Forensics and Debate Tournament.

 

Voter-Friendly Campus

Webster University has been designated as a “Voter Friendly Campus” for the third iteration of the program for the 2021-2022 time period.

The mission of the Voter Friendly Campus designation is to bolster efforts that help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process. Our university was evaluated based on a campus plan about how we would register, educate, and turnout student voters in 2020, how we facilitated voter engagement efforts on our campus, and a final analysis of our efforts — all in the face of the upheaval caused by a global pandemic.

The Voter Friendly Campus initiative is led by national nonpartisan organizations, Campus Vote Project and NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

 

ALL IN Silver Campus

Webster University was awarded the Silver Campus Seal by ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for having a campus-wide turn-out of 60-69% voter participation or higher in the 2020 Presidential Election.

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge ’s (ALL IN) mission is to foster civic culture and institutionalize democratic engagement activities and programs at colleges and universities, making them a defining feature of campus life. ALL IN also strives to close voting gaps based on age and race, with a particular focus on increasing support and outreach for minority serving institutions (MSIs) and community colleges.