Southwestern is listed in the 2003 editions of Barron’s Best Buys in College Education and The Unofficial, Unbiased Insider’s Guide to the 320 Most Interesting Colleges.

Barron’s lists Southwestern’s strengths as being “an endowment that ranks among the highest in the nation on a per capita basis…its personal attention, five-star faculty, and first-rate academic programs.” The guide goes on to describe the student body as “achievement-oriented, both in their studies and in their involvement outside class” and who “gladly work together in their efforts to excel.”

Barron’s selected Southwestern based on four criteria: tuition rates, percentage of faculty with PhD’s, percentage of first-year students who graduate from the college and percentage of graduates seeking advanced degrees.

The Insider’s Guide, produced by Kaplan Publishing, included universities based on selectivity, unique programs, academic strengths, as well as “insider information” they draw from students, recent graduates, college officials and high school counselors. In their assessment of Southwestern, they call the University a “hidden treasure” with facilities that are “top notch.” The guide notes that “Southwestern students feel as though they enjoy the best of both worlds; they can head into an exciting city when they want to, and then return to a tranquil, intimate campus.”