Vanguard in top 5

Vanguard University in Costa Mesa is consistently regarded as one of the United States’ top undergraduate universities, as proven by its rankings in the latest report by the U.S. News & World Report.

The college was ranked No. 5 in the Western United States by the magazine last week, school officials announced. Rankings are determined through a university’s student retention, selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate and more.

Faculty from the universities also assess other institutions, and the publication takes into account alumni donations, too.

Vanguard made the top five in the West for the third year in a row.

Universities were divided into four regions — North, South, Midwest and West — and 319 baccalaureate schools were considered.

Rankings countrywide became available Monday, and the 2010 edition of the magazine’s America’s Best Colleges guidebook will be available today.

The private, Christian university has more than 2,000 students in its undergraduate programs and gives out more than $19 million annually in financial aid.