IUP has been selected once again by U.S. News and World Report for their “2026 Best Colleges” national ranking and several undergraduate programs were named in the listing for “top public schools.”
The university has been included in the publication’s rankings for over 25 years. The magazine’s editors evaluate institutions based on independent data sources, including the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.
IUP is the only State System of Higher Education school selected for the 2025 Opportunity College and University-Higher Access, Higher Earnings designation by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education. The award recognizes schools with graduates who earn salaries that are 50% or more above their peers in similar fields and institutions providing access to students that reflect the communities that they serve. Only 20 Pennsylvania public institutions earned this specific honor, and only 16 percent of universities across the U.S. have received the recognition.
Earlier this year, U.S. News and World Report honored IUP’s online masters programs in criminal justice, nursing and education in the Best Online Program’s rankings.













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