LATROBE, PA — Saint Vincent College is listed among the top national liberal arts colleges in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings.
SVC was also recognized as a premier performer in social mobility, which examines an institution’s capacity for enrolling and graduating students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Additionally, the College was lauded for its undergraduate engineering program.
The annual rankings evaluate over 1,700 colleges and universities across the United States, “using up to 17 factors that measure academic quality and graduate success,” according to U.S. News & World Report.
“We are thrilled to be recognized in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings,” said Father Paul Taylor, O.S.B., C’87, S’91, president of Saint Vincent College. “This honor reflects the dedication, diligence and collective efforts of our students, faculty, staff and alumni and particularly the commitment of our faculty to excellence in their scholarship and teaching.”
U.S. News & World Report includes schools whose national liberal arts rankings emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in the liberal arts fields of study. Saint Vincent College ranked No. 121 among 207 institutions selected for inclusion—the 16th consecutive year the College has been rated in the upper echelon. In the Pittsburgh Metro Area, SVC tops out at No. 2, and 16th overall in Pennsylvania.
Saint Vincent College maintained its high ranking among national liberal arts colleges on U.S. News & World Report’s list of top performers on social mobility, coming in at No. 135 (No. 2 in the Pittsburgh Metro Area and 20th in the state). This ranking is based on Saint Vincent College’s successful retention and graduation rates of economically disadvantaged students and Pell Grant recipients.
The College’s undergraduate engineering program, which is ABET accredited, is ranked by U.S. News & World Report at No. 251 among engineering programs with no doctorate program. This marks the SVC engineering program’s second appearance among the U.S. News & World Report rankings. The College’s placement on the list is based solely on a 2025 peer assessment survey judged by deans and senior faculty at peer institutions.
“It is very satisfying to see this national ranking and the recognition of our program by our peers,” said Dr. Stephen Jodis, dean of the Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing. “A goal of our program—from its inception—was to create a degree that would prepare our graduates for work in industry upon graduation or prepare them for top engineering graduate schools. It is a joy each May commencement to see this come true for our graduates.”
The U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings have been a staple in higher education for over four decades. The rankings began in 1983 using a more subjective methodology but have evolved into a trusted tool for use by prospective students and their families when comparing the merits of undergraduate programs at the nation’s colleges and universities. The rankings provide comprehensive information about the institutions and data on elements such as graduation rates, graduate indebtedness and postgraduate income.
