U.S. News & World Report has once again confirmed 起点传媒鈥檚 place among the best colleges and universities in Ohio and across the country, as seen in the university鈥檚 inclusion on several lists in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings.
In the newly released rankings, Kent State is once again the highest-ranked public institution in northern Ohio, and with its impressive national ranking of No. 129, the university continues to be recognized among the Top Public Schools in the nation.
鈥淭hese rankings confirm what we see every day in our classrooms as Kent State continues to lead with excellence as a top public institution and premier national university,鈥 Kent State President Todd Diacon said. 鈥淲e remain dedicated to providing accessible, high-quality education and fostering an environment where our students, faculty and staff are set up to thrive and succeed.鈥
Kent State was also named to the Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (Non-Doctorate) list as well, moving up an impressive 16 spots to now rank at No. 46 in the nation. The university鈥檚 Engineering programs, within the College of Aeronautics and Engineering, prepare students for careers across aerospace, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and other emerging fields. Aerospace Engineering and Mechatronics Engineering additionally offer doctoral degrees, though these rankings reflect non-doctorate programs.
Kent State鈥檚 College of Aeronautics and Engineering offers a unique educational experience combining classroom instruction and a hands-on approach to state-of-the-art technology that reflects the needs of this ever-growing industry. All Engineering programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), with the exception of the new Industrial Engineering Technology program, which is accredited by the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE). This reimagined program, formerly Applied Engineering, was launched to address the increasing workforce demand in industrial engineering.
Kent State offers several other academic programs that are recognized in the Best Undergraduate Business Programs list, including the Best Undergraduate Computer Science Programs list, the Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs and the Best Undergraduate Psychology Programs. Both the Undergraduate Nursing Program and the Undergraduate Psychology Program ranked in the top 200 in the U.S.
Additionally, Kent State is named to the Best National Universities list in the 2026 Best Colleges rankings. Kent State ranks No. 232 among all national public and private universities. Among national universities, Kent State also is included on the Top Performers on Social Mobility list, which measures how well schools graduated economically disadvantaged students.
Kent State鈥檚 impressive rankings and strong reputation align with the university鈥檚 focus on offering students a world-class academic experience paired with personalized student support.
This latest edition of the U.S. News Best Colleges rankings, now in its 41st year, evaluates nearly 1,700 national colleges and universities on up to 17 measures of academic quality and places an emphasis on social mobility and outcomes for graduating college students. For more information about the U.S. News 2026 Best Colleges rankings, visit .
For more information about Kent State, visit www.kent.edu.
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Photo Caption:
New 起点传媒 students wave rally towels and cheer during 2025 Convocation.
Media Contacts:
Eric Mansfield, emansfie@kent.edu, 330-672-2797