Penn State Ranks High in 2026 US News ‘Best Colleges’ Rankings
In the 2026 U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” rankings, Penn State improved its position to No. 26 among national public universities and No. 59 overall. These college rankings…
In the 2026 U.S. News & World Report "Best Colleges" rankings, Penn State improved its position to No. 26 among national public universities and No. 59 overall. These college rankings were released on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
According to the university, they also received the following recognitions:
- Ranked No. 21 out of 211 schools in "Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs" at schools whose highest degree is a doctorate.
- Ranked No. 24 out of 533 programs in “Best Undergraduate Business Programs.”
Penn State's rankings also include No. 33 out of 682 institutions for “Best Undergraduate Psychology Programs,” No. 39 out of 601 institutions for “Best Undergraduate Computer Science Programs,” No. 40 out of 686 institutions for "Best Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs,” and No. 44 out of 254 institutions for “Best Undergraduate Economics Programs.”
Several Philadelphia-area schools were also named to U.S. News & World Report's 2026 "Best Colleges" list.
- Drexel University increased its position from No. 86 on last year's list to No. 80 in this year's rankings.
- Temple University dropped four spots from the 2025 list. It tied at No. 102 with schools such as Auburn University and Gonzaga University.
- The University of Pennsylvania jumped from being the No. 10 best school in the nation last year to No. 7 this year.
- Villanova University was named to the No. 57 spot.
In total, Pennsylvania had seven schools make the top 100 on the 2026 list.
According to U.S. News & World Report, the 2026 "Best Colleges" list evaluates nearly 1,700 colleges and universities across the country using more than a dozen metrics to measure academic quality.
