Gonzaga Climbs into Top 90 National Universities in New U.S. News Rankings

Gonzaga University has advanced to No. 90 among National Universities in the 2027 Best Colleges rankings released by U.S. News & World Report, moving up 12 places from last year and strengthening its position among the nation's leading private universities.

The rankings also placed Gonzaga No. 48 among Top Private Colleges nationwide and based on its standing within the U.S. News rankings, Gonzaga is among the top five Jesuit schools in the country. The rankings highlight the University's performance across a range of measures that increasingly emphasize student outcomes, including graduation rates, social mobility, and post-graduate success.

President Katia Passerini said the rankings reflect Gonzaga's distinctive approach to educating the whole person while preparing graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

"At Gonzaga, our students are learning in the classroom, through internships, service learning and other hands-on and applied experiences which ready them to impact the world by the time they graduate," Passerini said.

Among the year's strongest recognition was for several undergraduate business disciplines, ranking No. 17 in Entrepreneurship, No. 24 in Accounting, No. 23 in Management and No. 30 in Finance. Gonzaga scored well on Social Mobility, where the University climbed 52 places to No. 227 nationally.

"The recognition of Gonzaga's entrepreneurship and business programs speaks to our commitment to preparing students for meaningful careers and leadership opportunities, post-graduation," said Ken Anderson, dean of the Gonzaga School of Business Administration. "Students benefit from faculty mentorship, internships, and a curriculum grounded in professional excellence and ethical decision-making. The result is graduates who are well prepared to create value in organizations, launch new ventures, and launch successful careers in business."

This last year, Gonzaga expanded partnerships with both Microsoft and McKinstry, further connecting Mission-driven academic programs to student outcomes and workforce development.

The University also received recognition in several additional categories of note:

• No. 17 in Service Learning
• No. 22 in Undergraduate Engineering Programs (without doctoral degrees)
• No. 32 in Undergraduate Teaching Programs
• No. 56 in Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs
• No. 101 in Undergraduate Business Programs
• No. 133 in Best Colleges for Veterans
• No. 144 in Best Value Schools

The 2027 overall rankings place Gonzaga in the top 21% of all US colleges and universities and continue a positive trajectory for Gonzaga as the University invests in academic innovation, student support services, and experiential learning opportunities designed to help students succeed during college and after graduation.

The U.S. News & World Report methodology places growing emphasis on outcomes that matter most to students and families, including graduation and retention rates and post-college success.

Gonzaga's strong performance across these measures aligns with the University's focus on delivering an educational experience that combines intellectual growth, career preparation, and personal formation while also readying students for the modern workforce. This strong success includes an 84% six-year graduation rate, higher than the national average of 65%. And Gonzaga maintains a 92% retention rate, compared to an 82% rate across schools nationally.

Gonzaga continues to make investments that attract students across the academic spectrum. In recent years, the University has established the Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology to lend expertise in artificial intelligence; opened the Patrick Ferro Center for Materials Research in the School of Engineering and Applied Science to serve as an Inland Northwest hub for interdisciplinary innovation and STEM workforce development and expanded opportunities in public health education and research and a significant expansion of the University’s nurse anesthesia program. The newly launched Woodley Institute for Civil Engagement and Humanistic Dialogue similarly offers new opportunities for humanities-focused discernment and debate on the pressing issues of the day.

Through faculty and industry mentorship, research experiences for students, community-engaged learning, and a commitment to educating the whole person, Gonzaga continues to build on a record of preparing graduates who are equipped to lead, serve and contribute meaningfully to their professions and communities. As the University advances its strategic priorities, it remains focused on expanding access, fostering innovation, and ensuring that a Gonzaga education delivers lifelong value for students and society.

"Our graduates are transformed by Gonzaga’s rigorous academic education that emphasizes Jesuit and liberal arts principles, values and skills,” says Interim Provost Mia Bertagnolli. “They enter the world prepared to be ethical leaders who can make immediate impacts in their communities and professions.”