Improving on last year’s highest ever ranking in the annual “America’s Best Colleges” edition of U.S. News & World Report, Point Loma Nazarene University jumped up two spots to rank No. 22 in the Top Western Master’s Universities category.

U.S. News ranks schools within four categories: national universities, liberal arts colleges, master’s universities and comprehensive colleges. The latter categories are subdivided into Northern, Southern, Midwestern and Western regions.

“The continual rise in rank of Point Loma Nazarene University demonstrates the commitment of both the student body and the faculty, to strive for excellence academically,” said Dan Martin, vice president for University Advancement. “It reflects on the school as an institution that enables its students to become critical thinkers, to communicate effectively, and to become quality stewards of ethics and integrity. I am confident that the Christian context of Point Loma’s educational mission will help continue its ascent.”