U.S. News Ranks Westmont Among Nation’s Most Beautiful Campuses
Tucked between mountain peaks and the Pacific Ocean, Westmont College secures a prominent place selected among the nation’s 40 most beautiful campuses in a new report from U.S. News & World Report. The publication that annually releases a top 40 list, ranks Westmont as No. 5 and praises the college’s historic buildings, serene gardens and picturesque coastal backdrop.
“We always knew we had one of the most beautiful campuses in the country,” says President Gayle D. Beebe. “It’s often the first comment I hear from visitors and guest speakers who’ve never been to campus. It’s great that the country now knows it too!”
The review emphasizes how the beauty of a campus influences students' college decisions and instills an immediate sense of belonging in them. The most memorable campuses have a “distinctive sense of place,” and the 40 selected colleges and universities earn praise for “attributes such as stunning architecture, picturesque settings or spectacular landscaping.”
Occupying 113 elevated acres in the Santa Ynez Mountain foothills above Santa Barbara, Westmont combines oak and eucalyptus groves with views of the Pacific Coast and surrounding mountain peaks. The campus features Spanish Mediterranean-style structures with slate-tiled roofs, honey-white stucco walls, and wrought iron accents alongside formal gardens, fountains, plazas and stone patios.
Notable architectural landmarks include Kerrwood Hall, a historic mansion once owned by Dwight Murphy, a prominent Santa Barbara leader. Reginald Johnson, a distinguished and influential architect in Southern California, designed the estate. He helped shape Santa Barbara’s celebrated architectural identity that makes the city one of the most beautiful in the country. Westmont’s Global Leadership Center, a stunning, modern three-story residence hall, features mass timber and Alaskan cedar beams. The campus’s natural environment and secluded setting recently attracted international athletic attention when the Qatar national team selected Westmont’s soccer facility as its practice venue during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“Westmont’s beauty certainly earns praise from visitors who discover the campus as they travel through Santa Barbara,” says Irene Neller, vice president for enrollment, marketing and communications. “They find the picturesque surroundings and retreat-like setting stunning. Our physical setting inspires academic excellence, fosters deep personal connections and serves as a daily reminder of God’s beautiful creation in nature.”
Founded in 1937, Westmont College provides a liberal arts education rooted in the Christian tradition and is recognized as the top Christian liberal arts college in California and the Western United States. “We’ve remained committed to the foundation and mission of the college and respect the beauty and sacred spaces of our campus and location in such a pristine location in Montecito and Santa Barbara,” Beebe says. “The beauty of the campus is inseparable from its identity. It’s a setting that inspires students to flourish.”