The University of Delaware has been ranked #43 among the top public schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The 2026 edition of the U.S. News Best Colleges rankings evaluates more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities, using up to 17 factors to measure academic quality and graduate success.

In addition, UD was ranked #88 among all national universities and #55 in the nation for best colleges for veterans. UD was among the 207 national universities recognized as a Best Value school. For the second year in a row, UD rose significantly in rankings for best undergraduate program in nursing, jumping from #74 to #40 in the recent list. Consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally, UD’s chemical engineering undergraduate program remained #4 in the country.

U.S. News ranks several of the largest undergraduate programs each year, though not all programs are evaluated annually. This year, of the programs U.S. News ranked, UD was among the top 100 in the following areas in addition to those listed above:

●  Best engineering program whose highest degree is a doctorate - #50 out of 211

●  Best undergraduate psychology programs - #72 out of 682

●  Best computer science programs - #78 out of 601

●  Best business programs - #88 out of 533

U.S. News publishes the Best Colleges rankings each year to provide prospective students and their families with the comparative merits of the undergraduate programs at America’s colleges and universities. The rankings offer detailed information of the institutions and data on factors such as graduation rates, graduate indebtedness and post-graduate earnings.

Additional Accolades

The University of Delaware has recently been recognized in other high profile rankings. Earlier this year, U.S. News ranked UD as a Best Global University, based on excellence in research and a stellar academic reputation. U.S. News evaluated 2,250 universities in more than 100 countries, using in-depth data about published research, research citations, international collaboration, and reputation among academics.

The Princeton Review recently named UD among the Best 391 Colleges and Best Regional Colleges in the Mid-Atlantic. UD also earned a spot on the 2026 Forbes America’s top Colleges list. Washington Monthly’s College and Rankings Guide included UD among America’s Best Colleges for Research; Best Bang for the Buck in the Northeast; and Best College for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars.

A complete listing of UD’s high-profile rankings and additional acclaims is available on UD’s Institutional Research and Effectiveness Rankings webpage. Please note that programs and specialties used in rankings might vary slightly from the names of degree programs used by UD.