St. Olaf No. 9 for best value in new U.S. News & World Report rankings
St. Olaf College’s Holland Hall in autumn. 
St. Olaf students on the Classical Studies in Greece study-abroad program look out to see one of the 24 Monasteries of Meteora. Photo by Aiden Yung ’26 
Associate Professor of Philosophy Arthur Cunningham leads small groups during his philosophy class. 
St. Olaf students present their research during an Honors Day poster session in 2024.
The newest college rankings from U.S. News & World Report once again list St. Olaf College among the top 50 national liberal arts colleges. This is the second consecutive year that St. Olaf has been ranked No. 50 for top National Liberal Arts Colleges.
The 2026 Best Colleges rankings also list St. Olaf within the top 50 for four other categories:
- No. 9: Best Value — National Liberal Arts Colleges
- No. 17: Study Abroad
- No. 36: Undergraduate Teaching — National Liberal Arts Colleges
- No. 41: Most Innovative — National Liberal Arts Colleges
“Taken as a whole, the rankings reflect the college we strive to be,” says President Susan Rundell Singer. “St. Olaf offers an innovative, best value experience, centered on academic excellence and professional preparation that launches graduates into lives of purpose and meaning.”
St. Olaf also received recognition from U.S. News for the strength of its economics and psychology programs, and for being a top performer of enrolling and graduating students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
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.
“U.S. News’ Best Colleges remains a reliable resource for prospective students and their families as they navigate the college selection process,” says Managing Editor for Education at U.S. News LaMont Jones. “With over half of the ranking factors dedicated to student outcomes, the rankings and editorial content provide vital data, college advice, and informed reporting to every student pursuing higher education.”
Earlier this year, St. Olaf was one of 75 colleges from across the nation highlighted in the new book Dream School: Finding the College That’s Right for You by bestselling author Jeff Selingo. The Princeton Review’s newest rankings list St. Olaf in the Top 10 for the best classroom experience and science lab facilities, and give the college high marks for its conservation efforts, financial aid, and friendly students. St. Olaf also made Forbes’ list of Top 50 Small Colleges, which focuses on four-year schools with enrollment under 4,000 that offer a competitive return on investment, top-notch academics, high student satisfaction, and post-graduate salaries.