High Marks

SCU’s making waves on U.S. News & World Report’s college rankings

High Marks
Students and faculty make SCU great. Here faculty participate in the inauguration of SCU's 29th president, Kevin O'Brien, S.J. / Image by Scott MacDonald

This year marks the first time Santa Clara set alongside the likes of Princeton and Pepperdine in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of colleges and universities.

And SCU did well—no surprise there—by placing No. 54, in the top 15 percent of nearly 400 national-level universities. Santa Clara’s reputation, graduation rates, class sizes, and the caliber of the student body powered its high ranking.

In 2018, U.S. News ranked SCU No. 1 in the West in its regional category, but a change in the classification system elevated SCU to the national university category.

“We are extremely gratified that the hard work of Santa Clara University’s faculty, staff, and students is being recognized through strong rankings in U.S. News and elsewhere,” says President Kevin O’Brien, S.J.

Forbes Magazine ranked SCU No. 51 of 650 top-tier American colleges and universities and the 10th best college in the Western U.S.

From Scratch

The new leader of SCU’s adolescent mental health concentration wants to design better mental healthcare delivery systems to help more kids, now.

Green Is the New Black

Leaders in sustainable fashion shared career advice with student designers at SCU’s popular EcoFashion Show.

Hop 2 It

How do you get from hops to beer? Sustainability interns found out by turning hops grown at SCU’s Forge Garden into “Forge Ahead,” an English-style pale ale.

Racking Up

Tess Heal ’26 is nabbing awards left and right thanks to a stellar freshman year with Santa Clara women’s basketball.