Southwestern is listed in the 2003-04 editions of The Unofficial, Biased Guide to the 328 Most Interesting Colleges and Peterson’s Competitive Colleges.

The Biased 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” for “top students only” 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.”

Competitive Colleges lists 401 U.S. and Canadian colleges “for high-achieving students.” In selecting schools for entry, the guidebook measured “the competitiveness of the admission environment…over a meaningful period of time by entering-class statistics, such as GPA, class rank, and test scores.” The 401 schools listed “routinely attract and admit an above average share of the nation’s high-achieving students.”