Penn, Swarthmore rank highly again on U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges lists

Several Philly-area schools, most notably the University of Pennsylvania and Swarthmore College, performed well again in U.S. News & World Report's 2022 Best Colleges rankings that were released Monday.

Penn ranked No. 8 among national universities for a second straight year. The Ivy League university's Wharton School was No. 1 once again among business programs, while Penn Nursing was named the best nursing program in the U.S. this year. Penn also moved up three spots to No. 14 among best value schools.

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Villanova University and Lehigh University, tied at 49th, were the only other schools in the region in the top 100 in the new rankings. Villanova moved up from No. 53 in 2021 list. Lehigh and Villanova also were tied with Ohio State, Purdue, Pepperdine and Northeastern.

Drexel University, which had been at No. 133 last year, and Temple University both came in at No. 103. Thomas Jefferson University jumped from No. 176 to No. 148 this year.

Here are the top 10 national universities in Pennsylvania on the 2022 rankings. Each school's overall ranking in parentheses.

1. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (8)
2. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh (25)
3. Lehigh University, Bethlehem (49)
3. Villanova University, Villanova (49)
5. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh (59)
6. Penn State University, University Park (63)
7. Drexel University, Philadelphia (103)
7. Temple University, Philadelphia (103)
9. Duquesne University, Pittsburgh (148)
9. Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia (148)

Princeton University was named the top national university in the U.S. for a fourth year in a row by the publication. The Ivy League university finished in the top 5 among best value schools, best undergraduate teaching and best colleges for veterans.

The highest ranked colleges in South Jersey were Rutgers-Camden and Rowan University. Here are the top national universities in New Jersey, according to U.S. News.

1. Princeton University, Princeton (1)
2. Rutgers University, New Brunswick (63)
3. Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken (83)
4. New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark (103)
5. Rutgers University, Newark (127)
5. Seton Hall University, South Orange (127)
7. Rutgers University, Camden (148)
8. Montclair State University, Montclair (179)
8. Rowan University, Glassboro (179)

Swarthmore College ranked No. 3 among national liberal arts colleges. The Delaware County college climbed to No. 2 among best value schools and No. 4 for best undergraduate teaching.

Haverford College and Bryn Mawr College each fell slightly this year to No. 16 and No. 30, respectively, from their previous spots at No. 15 and No. 28 among national liberal arts schools. Both rated in the top 15 this year for best undergraduate teaching.

Here are the top 10 liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania according to the 2022 list.

1. Swarthmore College, Swarthmore (3)
2. Haverford College, Haverford (16)
3. Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr (30)
4. Bucknell University, Lewisburg (38)
4. Lafayette College, Easton (38)
6. Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster (42)
7. Dickinson College, Carlisle (50)
8. Gettysburg College, Gettysburg (54)
9. Muhlenberg College, Allentown (67)
10. Juniata College, Huntingdon (75)

The top-rated liberal arts college in the nation this year was Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The only two New Jersey schools among the top 223 liberal arts colleges in the United Stated this year were Drew University in Morris County and Bloomfield College in Essex County.

Of the 175 best regional universities in the north, St. Joseph's University, La Salle University, West Chester University and Stockton University all placed among the top 50 schools. Providence College in Rhode Island earned the top spot among regional universities in the north.

The 37th annual edition of U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges lists assessed more than 1,400 schools using a number of metrics, including graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, academic expert opinions, financial resources, student performance and alumni giving.