Penn, Swarthmore College among nation's best colleges, according to U.S. News & World Report list

University of Pennsylvania ranks No. 6 among national universities, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2019 edition of the magazine's 'Best College Rankings.' Swarthmore College, in Delaware County, ranks No. 3 as the best liberal arts school.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice

U.S. News & World Report released its 2020 list of Best Colleges on Monday and the rankings features a host of schools in the Philadelphia region, including University of Pennsylvania and Swarthmore College. 

Penn ranked sixth best among national universities in the U.S., tied with University of Chicago and Stanford University. The Ivy League school that was founded by Benjamin Franklin placed 15th among best value schools; 61st for best undergraduate teaching; and first for its business programs at the Wharton School. 

Other Philadelphia-area schools on the national list include Villanova University at No. 46 overall; Lehigh University at No. 50; Drexel University at No. 97; and Temple University at No. 104.  Elsewhere in Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh was ranked as the 25th best national university, and the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State tied at No. 57.

Below is a partial list of the top national universities in Pennsylvania. Get U.S News' complete rankings for the state here.

Top Pennsylvania Schools

• No. 6 — University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• No. 25 – Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh
• No. 46 – Villanova University, Radnor
• No. 50 — Lehigh University, Bethlehem
• No. 57 – Pennsylvania State University, State College
• No. 57 – University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh
• No. 97 – Drexel University, Philadelphia
• No. 104 – Temple University, Philadelphia
• No 153 – Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia

Princeton University in New Jersey was crowned the best national university in the United States again, beating out rival Harvard University. Among the other colleges in the region on the list, were Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, which ranked No. 62 and University of Delaware at No. 91.

For best national liberal arts colleges, Swarthmore College placed third in the United States, tied with Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Swarthmore, located in Delaware County, scored well in the undergraduate teaching (ninth) and best value (fourth) categories.

Haverford College wasn't far behind Swarthmore at No. 11 on the national liberal arts college list. Haverford ranked No. 22 for best undergraduate teaching and No. 14 among best value schools.

Below is a partial list of the top national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Get U.S News' complete Pennsylvania rankings here.

Top Pennsylvania Liberal Arts Schools

• No. 3 —Swarthmore College, Swarthmore
• No. 11 — Haverford College, Haverford
• No. 27 — Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr
• No. 35 – Bucknell College, Lewisburg
• No. 38 —Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster
• No. 39 — Lafayette College, Easton
• No. 46 — Dickinson College, Carlisle
• No. 53 – Gettysburg College, Gettysburg
• No. 72 – Muhlenberg College, Allentown
• No. 82 – Allegheny College, Meadville
• No. 82 – Juniata College, Huntingdon
• No. 82 – Ursinus College, Collegeville

College of New Jersey in Ewing was No. 4; St. Joseph's University was No. 10; Stockton College in Galloway, New Jersey was No. 32; and La Salle University was No. 38 among the 179 school in the Regional Universities North category.

U.S. News & World Report ranked more than 1,400 universities and colleges in magazine's 35th edition of its Best Colleges list. The publication examines academic quality at schools in addition to other factors, like graduation and student retention rates. 


Follow Virginia & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @vastreva | @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice
Add Virginia's RSS feed to your feed reader
Have a news tip? Let us know.