THOUSAND OAKS, CA - U.S. News & World Report has ranked California Lutheran University fourth among regional universities in the West on its inaugural Best Colleges for Veterans list.

To qualify for the rankings, universities had to score well in the 2014 edition of the U.S. News Best Colleges, be certified for the GI Bill and participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program and Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Consortium. There are a total of 24 institutions in 15 Western states included in the regional universities ranking.

“We developed these rankings to help (veterans) find a top-quality institution that also offers federal benefits that ease the burden of applying, paying for and completing a college degree,” said Brian Kelley, editor and chief content officer for U.S. News.

CLU goes beyond participating in national programs in its quest to help veterans. Earlier this year, the university hired its first veterans coordinator, alumna Jenn Zimmerman, to organize events and help veterans with enrollment, financial aid and academic issues. As a student at CLU, the Navy veteran launched a Military Veterans Club in 2012. In January, the School of Management will offer a Veterans Entrepreneurship Institute to help former service members either start their own businesses or improve their prospects in the job market. CLU’s California Institute of Finance has an interactive website where veterans and active duty personnel can meet, exchange ideas and learn about an online MBA program.

CLU ranked 18th among regional universities in the West in the overall 2014 U.S. News Best Colleges list released in September. The university’s scores improved in several categories including average freshman retention rate, alumni giving and academic qualifications of incoming students.

With an enrollment of about 4,300 students, CLU offers undergraduate and graduate programs within the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Management, Graduate School of Education and Graduate School of Psychology. In addition to its main campus in Thousand Oaks, it has centers in Oxnard, Woodland Hills and Santa Maria for graduate and Bachelor’s Degree for Professionals programs. Members of the CLU student body come from across the nation and around the world and represent a diversity of faiths and cultures.