La Sierra University has earned the highest financial grade among Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities in North America, according to Forbes magazine's annual college financial health rankings published May 22.
The Riverside-based university received a B+ grade and a 3.32 GPA on Forbes' America's College Financial Grades list, which evaluates the fiscal health of more than 900 private, nonprofit colleges and universities with enrollments exceeding 500 full-time students. Of the 11 Adventist schools graded in the North American Division, La Sierra ranked first.
Among 53 California schools assessed, La Sierra outscored the University of Southern California, Biola University, the University of Redlands, Point Loma Nazarene, and California Baptist University. Only two other California schools matched La Sierra's B+ grade: the University of San Diego and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.
The rankings come at a difficult moment for higher education broadly. Forbes found that nearly half of all graded schools received a C or lower, with 27% landing the lowest grade of D.
Forbes uses 10 measures to calculate its scores, drawing data from the U.S. Department of Education and consulting firm Perspective Data Science. This year's methodology includes a focus on true liquidity, a measure of how quickly an institution can convert assets to cash without significant loss.
La Sierra University President Christon Arthur called the grade a milestone in a recent newsletter, acknowledging the pressures facing colleges and universities nationwide.
"Enrollment pressures, shifting federal funding, and declining public confidence in the sector are reshaping the landscape around us. Yet amid these challenges, La Sierra is not merely surviving. We are deeply rooted and rising," Arthur said in a statement.
"The best of La Sierra University is still ahead of us," he added.
