UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State rose to No. 22 among national public universities and No. 55 overall — increasing four places in both categories — in U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 “Best Colleges” ranking, released Sept. 22. Penn State also ranks No. 19 among Association of American Universities public institutions and is once again the top-ranked public university in Pennsylvania.
U.S. News defines the category of “National Universities” as schools that offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master's and doctoral programs, and that emphasize faculty research. In total, 422 institutions made the list.
“Penn State’s continued recognition among the nation’s and world’s leading universities — including in rankings such as U.S. News & World Report — reflects the exceptional quality of our academic programs and the accomplishments of our students, faculty and staff,” said Fotis Sotiropoulos, Penn State executive vice president and provost. “Guided by our commitment to academic and research excellence, and student success, we are building on these strengths to further elevate Penn State’s standing among America’s leading universities.”
Undergraduate program-specific rankings released by U.S. News for Penn State remain strong, including 15 top-25 ratings, with three in the top 10, for select programs in engineering and business, among others. According to U.S. News’ methodology, these rankings are based solely on the judgments of the academic leadership and senior faculty in such programs who participated in a peer assessment survey.
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Penn State ranked No. 22 out of 216 schools in "Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs," at schools whose highest degree is a doctorate. The University also ranked highly in a number of engineering specialties, including petroleum (4); biological/agricultural (10); materials (11); industrial/manufacturing (11); mechanical (12); civil (13); aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical (14); environmental/environmental health (22); computer (21); and electrical/electronic/communications (23).
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Penn State ranked No. 24 out of 535 programs in “Best Undergraduate Business Programs.” The University also ranked well in several business specialty programs, including supply chain management/logistics (7) and production/operations management (13).
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Penn State’s rankings also include No. 34 out of 587 institutions for “Best Undergraduate Computer Science Programs,” No. 43 out of 237 institutions for “Best Undergraduate Economics Programs,” No. 50 out of 676 institutions for “Best Undergraduate Psychology Programs,” and No. 56 out of 671 institutions for “Best Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs.”
Additionally, Penn State ranked No. 31 out of 169 national universities in “Best Colleges for Veterans,” a rating that includes schools that make pursuing a college education more affordable for veterans and active-duty service members. Penn State has a large network of students, staff, faculty and alumni who have military ties as either service members, veterans or military dependents. The Office of Veterans Affairs and Services supports military-connected students by enabling their access to all aspects of higher education and empowering them to succeed while at Penn State and as they transition to post-education endeavors. The University’s World Campus also scored well in the 2026 U.S. News “Best Online Programs for Veterans” and 2025 Military Times “Best for Vets” rankings.
This continues a string of strong placements for Penn State in national and international rankings. Over the past year, Penn State has ranked No. 61 globally and No. 32 nationally in the Center for World University Rankings for 2026; No. 92 in the world and No. 23 in the U.S. in the 2027 QS World University Rankings; and No. 92 in the world in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Global Universities” ranking for 2026-27.
To learn more about the University’s standing in major national and international rankings, visit Penn State’s Facts & Rankings page.