How Alabama Schools Ranked Among U.S. News Best Colleges

BIRMINGHAM, AL — As colleges in Alabama continue to work through the academic challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, several schools were recognized this week for their steadfast dedication to providing students a quality education.

U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday released its 2022 Best Colleges rankings, which evaluate more than 1,400 U.S. colleges and universities on 17 different academic measures.

The purpose of the list is to provide students and their families with the necessary tools to find the right college for them.

To rank colleges, U.S. News first places each school into a category based on its mission and, in some cases, its geographic location. National universities, which focus on research and offer several doctoral programs, are ranked separately from liberal arts colleges. In its regional rankings, U.S. News only compares universities and colleges with other schools in the same group and region.

Data for the 2022 edition of Best Colleges was gathered in the spring and early summer of this year. U.S. News gathered data on student retention, graduation rates, graduate indebtedness, financial resources, alumni giving and more. Colleges were then ranked based on their overall scores.

Read more about the 2022 Best Colleges methodology.

New this year is the Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs ranking, which looked at more than 690 schools offering Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing degree programs.

These Alabama colleges and universities were among those included in this year’s rankings:

National Universities

• Auburn University, Ranked 99th.
• Samford University, Ranked 136th.
• University of Alabama/UAB (tied), Ranked 148th.

National Liberal Arts Colleges

• Birmingham-Southern College, Ranked 128th.
• Spring Hill College, Ranked 166th.
• Stillman College, Ranked 168th.

Regional Universities

• Tuskegee University, Ranked 17th.
• University of Montevallo, Ranked 26th.
• University of North Alabama, Ranked 27th.

Regional Colleges

• Huntingdon College, Ranked 13th.
• University of Mobile, Ranked 15th.
• Oakwood University, Ranked 41st.

See all Alabama schools ranked among 2022’s Best U.S. Colleges.

Princeton University is once again No. 1 among National Universities, and Williams College remains in the top spot among National Liberal Arts Colleges.

For Top Public Schools, the University of California - Los Angeles is No. 1 among National Universities. The United States Naval Academy ranks No. 1 for Top Public Schools among National Liberal Arts Colleges.