New Brunswick is the #15 top public university for the second year in a row; Newark and Camden are again among top 50 public and top 100 national universities
Rutgers University again scored high marks in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report college rankings, with Rutgers-New Brunswick ranked as the #15 top public university in the nation – its highest ranking ever in this category – for the second year in a row.
Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers-Camden made strong gains among the top 50 public universities, with Rutgers-Newark named #39, up from #40 last year, and Rutgers-Camden climbing to #46 from #49 last year.
All three of the university’s locations, in Newark, Camden and New Brunswick, have again secured spots among the top 100 national universities. In addition to Rutgers-New Brunswick continuing to rank as one of the top 15 public universities, it was ranked at #41 among all national universities, public and private, among the nearly 1,500 national universities scored this year.
Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers-Camden are also respectively ranked at #80 and #98.
This year’s rankings reflect a positive trend for the last several years. Since 2021, Rutgers-New Brunswick has moved up 22 spots in the best national university rankings, Rutgers-Newark has moved up 38 spots, and Rutgers-Camden has moved up 55 spots.
“This exciting news affirms that Rutgers is continuing its rise and earning the distinction and respect it deserves. Our newest rankings reflect our unwavering commitment to academic excellence and the incredible work we are doing to make a Rutgers education more accessible while providing strong support for our accomplished students,” said President Jonathan Holloway.
All three Rutgers locations exceeded last year’s rankings for social mobility, which assesses how well schools enroll and graduate economically disadvantaged students. Rutgers-Newark ranked #5 for social mobility (up from #21 last year) and Rutgers-Camden was #15 (up from #35). Rutgers-New Brunswick ranked #36 (up from #42) for social mobility.
Pell graduation rates – the percentage of students receiving Pell grants who graduate within six years – are figured into social mobility rankings and all three Rutgers locations rank in the top 25 for Pell graduation rates: Rutgers-Newark at #12, Rutgers-Camden at #21 and Rutgers-New Brunswick at #25.
Among the Big Ten Conference public universities, Rutgers-New Brunswick ranked 5th.
The 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings were calculated using 17 key measures of academic quality for national universities with an emphasis on social mobility and outcomes for graduating college students.
“Our rankings send a clear message that we are focused on what is most important at Rutgers: academic excellence,” said Holloway, who has made access to academic excellence, community, public service and strengthening the common good central to his tenure as president. “The incredible growth in our standing over the last few years reinforces Rutgers’ well-deserved reputation as a preeminent public university.”