CCNY remains in U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges rankings, and is a top performer in social mobility at #9, with an overall #132 ranking among the top 436 national universities.
In its 2026 edition of Best Colleges published today, U.S. News & World Report ranks The City College of New York #132 out of the top 436 National Universities. CCNY is also ranked #9 in Top Performers on Social Mobility, a traditional forte of the institution. Overall, more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities are ranked, with most participating in the U.S. News statistical survey.
The City College’s other top placings in the U.S. News rankings include:
- #68 in Top Public Schools;
- #91 in Best Colleges for Veterans (web-exclusive);
- #109 in 2026 Best Value Schools;
- #112 in Undergraduate Engineering Programs (at schools whose highest degree is a doctorate);
- #169 in Best Undergraduate Psychology;
- #174 in Undergraduate Economic Program; and
- #193 in Undergraduate Computer Science Programs;
Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. Click here to read more about how U.S. News ranks schools.
U.S. News’ latest rankings follow the publication’s recognition of CCNY’s Grove School of Engineering as one the nation’s elite engineering programs last month.
Other recent accolades for CCNY include being named one of the nation's academically best undergraduate institutions by The Princeton Review®.
And last year, CCNY received affirmation as one of the nation’s leading research institutions by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education. The influential classifications are administered by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.2 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers, and society. At City College, more than 16,500 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity, and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together,” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College's mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic, and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Jay Mwamba
p: 917.892.0374
e:
jmwamba@ccny.cuny.edu