Marywood University Earns “Best Value” Recognition Among NEPA Colleges

Marywood University continues to offer the “Best Value” among Northeast Pennsylvania universities, according to the 2026 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges ranking.

Moving up four places to #14 on the Regional Universities (North) rankings for “Best Value,” Marywood continues to demonstrate its exceptional affordability and academic excellence as the top regional four-year private university included in this category.

According to U.S. News, the “Best Value” ranking considers a school’s academic quality—the higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal. Only schools ranked in or near the top half of their categories are included. U.S. News considers the most significant values to be among colleges that are above average academically.

In the “Best Colleges for Veterans” (Regional Universities North category), Marywood is ranked at #29. Marywood has consistently placed in the top 30 institutions for this category year over year. According to U.S. News, this designation includes the top-ranked schools in the 2026 Best Colleges rankings that participate in federal initiatives helping veterans and active-duty service members pay for their degrees.

Marywood University also had a solid showing at #61 (tie) in its overall position on the “Best Regional Universities North” list, which includes institutions from seven states. Marywood is one of only four local universities to attain placement on this list, and the second highest ranked, demonstrating its enduring quality as a higher education provider in the region.

Additionally, Marywood placed in the top 100 for Top Performers on Social Mobility, ranking at #88 (tie) overall. Marywood is the only local university to place in the top 100 for this category. This includes institutions that are more successful than others at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants. The social mobility ranking also includes borrower debt and college graduates earning more than high school graduates.

Click here for additional information regarding Marywood University’s rankings in U.S. News & World Report

The University of Scranton Shines in U.S. News Rankings

The University of Scranton is a top 10 college in its region with nationally ranked academic programs and distinction for innovation and support for veterans, according to U.S. News and World Report.

            The publication’s 2026 Best Colleges report, published Tuesday, ranked The University of Scranton No. 8 in the Regional Universities (North) category. U.S. News has ranked Scranton in the top 10 in its category for an astounding 32 consecutive years.

            Two of Scranton’s academic programs ranked among the top 40 in the nation. Scranton placed No. 38 in “Best Undergraduate Programs in Analytics” and No. 40 in “Best Undergraduate Programs in Accounting.” The University also tied for 135th in “Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs,” tied for 162nd in “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs” and tied for 254th in “Best Undergraduate Business Programs.” Scranton also tied for 410th in “Best Undergraduate Computer Science Programs.” National rankings reflect the results of peer surveys used to identify programs of high academic quality.

            The University achieved high marks in several regional categories, including No. 3 in “Best Colleges for Veterans,” a selection of schools recognized for making higher education more accessible and affordable for veterans and active-duty service members. Scranton ranks No. 9 in “Best Undergraduate Teaching,” which recognizes schools’ strong commitment to teaching undergraduates rather than conducting graduate-level research. Scranton tied for 13th in “Most Innovative Schools,” which identifies institutions making innovative improvements in curriculum, personnel, campus life, technology or facilities.

            The University placed 55th on U.S. News’ “Best Value Regional Universities (North).” Scranton also tied for 106th in “Top Performers on Social Mobility,” which examines the success of schools that enroll and graduate students who were awarded Pell Grants.

            U.S. News uses numerous data points to rank bachelor’s degree colleges in America, including graduation rate and graduation rate performance; retention rates; borrower debt; peer assessments; faculty salaries; student-faculty ratio; financial resources; standardized test performance; and Pell Grant student graduation rates and performance.

            U.S. News categorizes colleges for their rankings based on the official Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classification of universities.

            Earlier this year, U.S. News and World Report’s Best Graduate Schools rankings placed five University programs in the top 50 in the nation, and several programs ranked in the top 150 in the country, including business analytics, tied for 28th; finance, tied for 31st; accounting, tied for 39th; healthcare management, tied for 46th; rehabilitation counseling, tied for 49th; occupational therapy, tied for 79th; part-time MBA, tied for 80th; physical therapy tied for 105th; nursing-anesthesia, tied for 111th; doctor of nursing practice, tied for 127th.

            Scranton has recently appeared in other national rankings, as well, including being designated as one of the nation’s best colleges by Forbes and the Princeton Review.

Click here to find U.S. News and World Report – 2026 Best Colleges