VCU tied at No. 72 among best public universities in U.S. News ranking

By VCU News staff

In U.S. News & World Report's 2026 Best Colleges rankings, Virginia Commonwealth University tied for No. 72 on the list of best public universities and No. 139 on the overall ranking of best national universities.

Published today, the annual U.S. News rankings of more than 1,700 institutions are based on 17 measures, including graduation rates, peer assessment, student debt, post-graduation earnings, student-faculty ratio, financial resources per student, faculty salaries, faculty research and other indicators.

"VCU's rankings reflect what we see every day across our campuses: faculty driving innovation that matters," said Beverly J. Warren, Ed.D., Ph.D., interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. "From advancing student success to conducting research with real-world impact, our faculty are making a difference in the lives and communities we serve."

Five of VCU's undergraduate programs were ranked nationally, including the School of Nursing program that was tied for No. 40 in the U.S.

"This recognition reflects the VCU School of Nursing's commitment to providing our students with high-quality learning and hands-on training," said Patricia Kinser, Ph.D., dean of the School of Nursing and the Judith B. Collins and Joseph M. Teefey Distinguished Professor. "It affirms the excellence of our faculty, staff and clinical partners, and the dedication our students bring to their education and future careers."

The four additional VCU undergraduate programs that were ranked this year included business in the School of Business (tied for No. 131), computer science (tied for No. 136) and engineering (tied for No. 112) in the College of Engineering, and psychology (tied for No. 130) in the College of Humanities and Sciences.

Not all programs receive updated rankings each year. VCU has 23 graduate, online and undergraduate programs that U.S. News ranks among the nation's top 50.

U.S. News additionally listed VCU in the top 100 on its list of Best Colleges for Veterans. VCU, which tied for No. 96, is designated as a Military Friendly School, earning a gold award for being in the top tier of institutions based on factors including retention, graduation, job placement, loan default rates and more. Including dependents along with veterans, VCU enrolls one of the highest populations of military-affiliated students in Virginia.

Today's rankings are just the latest recognition VCU has received from U.S. News & World Report.

In June, it ranked VCU among the world's top 20% of universities as part of its 2025-26 list of Best Global Universities. VCU tied for No. 411 among the top 2,250 universities across 105 countries.

And in April, U.S. News ranked 10 graduate programs at VCU among the top 50 in their disciplines. Seven programs were ranked among the top 25, and five were ranked among the top 10.