According to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings, Rutgers-Newark is the No. 5 university in the nation for social mobility.

RU-N made great strides in this category, improving from 21st place last year. The Social Mobility Index assesses how well schools enroll and graduate economically disadvantaged students with federal Pell Grants, which are awarded to those whose adjusted gross family income is less than $50,000.

“Rutgers-Newark has been committed to social mobility for decades. “The current rankings affirm our commitment to an incredibly talented and diverse student body,” said Interim Chancellor Jeffrey Robinson. “As a college and anchor institution, Rutgers-Newark is committed to access, affordability, student success and transforming the trajectory of students’ lives.”

Rutgers-Newark’s rankings rose in several areas, placing it at No. 80 among the top universities in America this year, up from No. 82 last year, and No. 39 among top public schools, up from No. 40. It also ranked No. 48 in the Best Colleges for Veterans category.

Additional rankings placed Rutgers Business School at No. 94 among business schools for bachelor’s degree programs and at No. 177 for bachelor’s degree programs in computer science. Rutgers-Newark’s undergraduate psychology program ranked 131st.

The 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings were calculated using 17 key measures of academic quality at national universities, with a focus on social mobility and graduate outcomes.