Vaughn College has once again been recognized in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of the best colleges in the Regional North category. Vaughn earned spots in multiple categories including #1 for “Social Mobility,” #18 for “Best Regional College,” and moved up nine points to receive a “Best Colleges for Engineering” recognition.
“The ranking that makes us the proudest is to be number one in social mobility—this is the evidence that we are providing a transformational education for our students and a pathway to a highly employable, strong career path with top earning potential,” said Vaughn College President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Sharon B. DeVivo. “We are also delighted with Vaughn’s top ranking in the engineering category this year. This is a testament to our dedicated faculty and well-placed graduates who are incredible contributors to the industries they serve.”
Achieving #1 in the social mobility ranking reinforces the findings of a study by The Equality of Opportunity Project, reported in The New York Times, recognizing Vaughn as the number one institution in the country in economic mobility—the best at moving students from the bottom in income levels to the top; and a study by the New York City Economic Development Corporation ranking Vaughn as #1 in economic mobility in New York City.
U.S. News & World Report began its annual rankings of American colleges and universities in 1983. To calculate the rankings, U.S. News focuses on academic quality and places emphasis on outcome measures– including graduation rates, retention rates, graduate indebtedness and social mobility. Outcomes are the mostly highly weighted ranking factor, contributing 40% to each school’s overall score.