About Westminster University
Westminster is a private, independent, and comprehensive university in Salt Lake City, Utah. Students experience the liberal arts blended with professional programs in an atmosphere grounded in wellness. With the goal of enabling its graduates to live vibrant, just, and successful lives, Westminster provides transformational learning experiences for both undergraduate and graduate students in a student-centered environment. Faculty focus on teaching, learning, and developing distinctive, innovative programs, while students thrive on Westminster’s urban Sugar House campus within minutes of the Rocky Mountains.
Mission Statement
Westminster University is a private, independent university dedicated to student learning. We are a community of learners with a long and honored tradition of caring deeply about students and their education. We offer liberal arts and professional education in undergraduate, selected graduate courses, and other innovative degree and non-degree programs. Students experiment with ideas, raise questions, critically examine alternatives, and make informed decisions. We encourage students to assume responsibility for their learning, to discover and pursue their passions, and promote more equitable and sustainable communities.
Our purpose is to prepare students to lead lives of learning, accomplishment, and service and to help them develop skills and attributes vital for success in a diverse and interdependent world. We promote distinct approaches toward engaged learning that emphasize theory and practice in our academic and co-curricular programs. Grounded in a culture of imagination and innovation, we pursue excellence while promoting inclusiveness and respect for differences.
Founded in 1875
Location
Surroundings impact your access to unique experiences. Westminster’s location in the eclectic Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City is close to the outdoors, the arts, Utah Capitol, and the downtown business district, allowing you to cultivate a rich, well-rounded college experience in and outside of the classroom.
Facilities
Westminster’s 27-acre campus comprises 39 university facilities, including residence halls, a state-of-the-art LEED-certified science center, a library, facilities for athletics and recreation, art and performance spaces, and so much more.
Small Classes
Big Impact
11
Average Undergraduate Class Size
10
Average Graduate Class Size
Accessible education
100%
of first-year students received grants and/or scholarships
270
endowed scholarships
$35,250
average award for first-year students
Meet the President
Bethami (Beth) Dobkin, PhD, is Westminster University's 19th president and the second woman to lead the university. As an innovator in higher education, Beth’s devotion to the university stems from a passion for creating a community that nurtures students’ curiosities.
“At its core, Westminster is about developing people, bringing students together in community, where they learn the freedom to think, the wisdom to know, and the aptitude to act. Each part in the Westminster education is indispensable to the others, and together with our unique place, make Westminster a truly remarkable institution.” —President Dobkin, Inaugural Address
Faculty Profile
106 full-time faculty 94% of full-time faculty hold the highest degree available in their fields 125 adjunct instructors
Meet Griff
The mascot, myth, and legend.
The Westminster Griffin, better known as “Griff,” is the beloved mascot of the university.
A rumor says that after the university revamped the Athletic programs in the 1990s, a Griffin’s nest was found atop the Converse clock tower. Griff then started attending Athletics events, bringing energy—and sometimes mischief—to Westminster students and fans.
Although formidable around Westminster community members, Griff is known to be playful and pull pranks when given the opportunity.
Community Service
450,000 hours
of community engagement work logged by students
(2014–2021)
Sustainability at Westminster
Westminster University is committed to promoting environmental awareness and education. The Environmental Center supports many services and student-led initiatives that educate the community and make the campus environmentally friendly. Westminster's campus has many sustainable features, including solar arrays, gardens, and a LEED® Platinum-certified building.
Westminster continually receives recognition for its campus-wide sustainability efforts, including the following:
- A Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) silver rating
- Rocky Mountain Power Blue Sky Legacy Award (2020)
- A Princeton Review Green College (2022)
Fast Facts
Westminster University is proud to highlight the university's accomplishments, along with the successes of current students and alumni. Enrollment, current student, alumni, and rankings information reflects the university’s consistent dedication to fostering a campus community based on support, embracing mistakes, and growth.
1,120
total enrollment
8:1
student to faculty ratio
313
graduate students
842
undergraduate students
97%
students enrolled full-time
MSCMHC
largest graduate program
Nursing
largest undergrad program
Class of 2024 Profile
Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education 2022 College Rankings
Westminster moved up in the 2022 edition of the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education college rankings list. The university is ranked 217—placing in the top third of colleges nationwide and 44th in the western region.
Westminster received high marks in student engagement—how students connect intellectually and socially on campus. Students surveyed for the ranking praised Westminster for the extent of its collaborative learning opportunities; the opportunity for interaction with professors; and the university's rigorous academics that challenge students, support critical thinking, apply learning to the real world, and make connections across topics, courses, and disciplines.