Washington College on Four Best Colleges Lists for 2026

In its 2027 rankings, U.S. New & World Report named Washington College a Top 100 National Liberal Arts College.

 With so many options for students trying to choose which college to attend, various rankings by media outlets and higher education industry experts have become an essential decision-making tool. The most well-known of these rankings, issued by U.S. News & World Report, was released today and once again placed Washington College in the Top 100 National Liberal Arts Colleges in the country.

This is the fourth set of rankings this year to place the College among the best in the nation, with two repeat placements and two new recognitions.

Earlier this month, The Princeton Review again put Washington among the top 15% of all colleges and universities in the United States in its book The Best 392 Colleges: 2027 Edition. In addition to its national recognition, Washington was named among the best colleges in the Mid-Atlantic region by Princeton Review.

Both Forbes and Time magazines named Washington College one of the best 500 colleges and universities in the country. For its first-ever report on America’s Best Colleges, Time’s ranking rested on three pillars: student outcomes, learning environment, and attractiveness, defined as how popular a school is among applicants. 

Washington College scored above the 95th percentile on the learning environment category, which “assesses the quality of the instructional setting and community that an institution provides for its undergraduate students.” The publication made that determination by considering how accessible faculty are to students, the financial investment colleges make in instruction and academic support, and campus diversity across demographic, socioeconomic, and disability categories.

As you might expect from a magazine focused on business and finance, Forbes evaluated a number of outcomes-based criteria such as how much debt students graduate with and their return on investment. The magazine awarded the College an A in its 2027 America’s Top Colleges report.  

“Out of thousands of colleges and universities across the country, the consistent placement of Washington College in the top 500 hundred or better by multiple organizations using multiple methods to evaluate quality speaks volumes about the value of a Goose Nation education,” President Bryan Matthews ’75 M’86 P’12 said. “I am incredibly proud of the faculty and staff who earn the College these rankings year after year, and I am especially happy for the students and alumni who benefit from the outstanding education we provide.” 

— Mark Jolly-Van Bodegraven