NEWBERG, Ore., Sept. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- George Fox University again received a first-tier ranking from U.S. News & World Report magazine in its 2013 "America's Best Colleges" issue, released Sept. 12.

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The Newberg, Ore.-based university ranks 23rd out of 121 in the "Best Regional Universities" West category. The ranking marked an improvement for George Fox, which moved up two spots in the category from a year ago.

George Fox also is listed as one of the magazine's "A-Plus Schools for B Students," comprised of colleges and universities that are considered a "top college" while "admitting a meaningful proportion of applicants whose test scores and class standing put them in non-'A' territory," according to the magazine. The average grade point average for incoming students at the university is 3.6 (on a scale of 4.0).

Colleges in the "Best Regional Universities" category provide a full range of undergraduate and master's-level programs, but few doctoral programs. Nationally, the category includes 625 universities and colleges, with 121 ranked in the 15-state western region.

The rankings – including the component information on each college's score – are available online at usnews.com. The magazine's 2013 Best Colleges guidebook will be available in stores Sept. 18.

This is the 24th year George Fox has been ranked as one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report. The university made the magazine's first ranking in 1988.

George Fox University is ranked by Forbes and Kiplinger's among the top Christian universities in the country and is a Christian college classified by U.S. News & World Report as a first-tier regional university. More than 3,400 students attend classes on the university's campus in Newberg, Ore., and at teaching centers in Portland, Salem, and Redmond, Ore., and Boise, Idaho. George Fox offers bachelor's degrees in more than 40 majors, degree-completion programs for working adults, five seminary degrees, and 11 master's and doctoral degrees.

Media Contact:  Rob Felton, George Fox University, 503-554-2129, rfelton@georgefox.edu

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SOURCE George Fox University