Saint Mary’s College Receives Six Key Rankings from U.S. News and World Report
By LISA KNOX
Saint Mary’s College announced that it received six national rankings from U.S. News and World Report in its list of Best Colleges for 2027:
- #78 — National Liberal Arts Colleges
- #74 — Top Private Colleges - National Liberal Arts Colleges
- #57 — Best Value - National Liberal Arts Colleges
- #99 — Social Mobility - National Liberal Arts Colleges
- #57 — Undergraduate Teaching Programs - National Liberal Arts Colleges
- #135 — Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs
Saint Mary’s ranked #78 in U.S. News' annual ranking of top liberal arts colleges in the country in the organization’s annual survey of nearly 1,700 colleges and universities nationwide. U.S. News ranks campuses on numerous factors, including economic and ethnic diversity, awarding of merit aid, graduation rates, and the number of classes with fewer than 20 students. National Liberal Arts institutions focus almost exclusively on undergraduate education and tend to award most of their degrees in the arts and sciences.
Saint Mary’s ranked #74 in U.S. News’ new ranking of Top Private Liberal Arts Colleges. Private institutions are funded by nongovernment sources like tuition, endowments and alumni gifts.
Saint Mary’s ranked #57 in U.S. News’ annual ranking of Best Value in a national liberal arts college. The Best Value ranking looks at a school’s academic quality, total costs and typical expenses for students with need.
“While rankings are only one measure of a college’s success, we are pleased to see Saint Mary’s recognized as a premier destination for women seeking a personal, challenging, and supportive learning environment,” said Katie Conboy, president of Saint Mary’s College. “The Sisters of the Holy Cross came here in 1844 with a big idea—to give women access to education. We have always been guided by the Sisters’ commitment: Read the signs of the times and respond to them. Saint Mary’s has been brilliant at recognizing what the world needs and developing the programs and people who can respond to those needs.”
Additional 2027 Rankings
- Saint Mary’s ranked #57 in U.S. News’ ranking of Undergraduate Teaching Programs. This ranking focuses on schools whose faculty and administrators are committed to teaching undergraduate students in a high-quality manner, and is solely based on peer assessment surveys completed by top administrators.
- Saint Mary’s ranked #99 in U.S. News’ annual Social Mobility distinction. This ranking assesses how well Saint Mary’s graduates economically disadvantaged students. We know that economically disadvantaged students are less likely than others to finish college, but according to U.S. News, some colleges are more successful than others at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants. The vast majority of these federal grants are awarded to students whose adjusted gross family incomes are under $50,000.
- Saint Mary’s ranked #135 in U.S. News’ ranking of Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs. This ranking is solely based on peer assessment surveys completed by top academics and officials at peer nursing schools. Institutions must hold regional accreditation, maintain CCNE or ACEN bachelor's-level accreditation, and have recently awarded a minimum of 50 BSN degrees.
U.S. News evaluated nearly 1,700 US four-year bachelor's degree-granting institutions on as many as 17 measures for its 2027 edition. The comparisons are useful for high school students when making their selection for higher education.
September 22, 2026