Philly-Area Schools Named to US News & World Report’s Best Colleges List
Several Philadelphia-area schools have been named to U.S. News & World Report‘s “2026 Best Colleges” list. The Penn State main campus increased four spots from last year to No. 50 this…
Several Philadelphia-area schools have been 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.
The Penn State main campus increased four spots from last year to No. 50 this year. In total, Pennsylvania had seven schools make the top 100 on the 2026 list.
In Delaware, the University of Delaware earned a No. 43 ranking among the top public colleges and universities in the nation. The university also ranked among the top 100 in the following categories:
- No. 50 out of 211 for best engineering program whose highest degree is a doctorate
- No. 72 out of 682 for best undergraduate psychology programs
- No. 78 out of 601 for best computer science programs
- No. 88 out of 533 for best business programs
According to U.S. News & World Report, the"2026 Best Colleges" list evaluate nearly 1,700 colleges and universities across the country using more than a dozen metrics to measure academic quality.
"While the general scoring weights and factors remained consistent, the 2026 rankings made a few small adjustments to ensure the results accurately reflect the evolving landscape of higher education," said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for Education at U.S. News & World Report.
"By considering students' credit hours and increasing the minimum number of students for a cohort, the rankings deliver a view of institutional investment in students and graduation and retention rates," Jones added.
