BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University has earned a national reputation as one of the top higher education institutions in the Southeast and the country — a position affirmed by the latest rankings of six notable publications, including U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Forbes magazine.
Lauding the university for its academics, innovation, value, benefits for student veterans, programs to enhance the first-year experience and other aspects, the publications have named App State to the following lists for the 2025–26 academic year:
- “Best Colleges” rankings for 2026 — U.S. News & World Report
- “The Best 391 Colleges” and “Best Colleges: Region by Region” lists for 2026 — The Princeton Review
- “America’s Top Colleges” rankings for 2025–26 — Forbes magazine
- “Best Colleges in the U.S.” for 2026 — The Wall Street Journal
- “Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars” rankings, “25 Best-in-Class Colleges” list, “Best Bang for the Buck” college rankings and “Master’s University Rankings” for 2025 — Washington Monthly magazine
- “Best Colleges in America” for 2025 — Money.com
“With some of the highest retention and graduation rates in the nation, graduates with less student debt than most in the nation, and a positive, resident-student return on investment for every one of our undergraduate and graduate academic programs, we are serving our state and nation by preparing knowledgeable, innovative thinkers and problem solvers,” said App State Chancellor Heather Norris.
“These honors attest to Appalachian State University’s reputation as a leader in higher education," Norris added. "More than that, they are a testament to the incredible work of our faculty and staff, who dedicate their lives to advancing purposeful research, teaching and service, while also working at every level to ensure a positive, meaningful community in which our students can succeed.”
Read on to learn more about App State’s 2025–26 accolades.
Mountaineer students are pictured on App State’s Boone campus in September, with the bell tower visible in the background. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
A ‘Best College’ for 2026 — U.S. News & World Report
App State earned several top five positions in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 “Best Colleges” rankings for regional universities in the South, released Sept. 23. Schools recognized in the publication’s Regional Universities rankings category offer a broad range of undergraduate programs and master’s programs but few doctoral programs.
Notable U.S. News rankings for App State included:
- No. 2 in Top Public Schools in the South, with App State earning this accolade for the third consecutive year.
- No. 2 in Best Colleges for Veterans among Southern universities — a distinction App State has held for five consecutive years.
- No. 3 in Best Regional Universities of the South for the third year in a row.
- No. 4 in Most Innovative Schools in the South. The university has been recognized as a top five school in this category for nine consecutive years. Schools recognized in this category were identified by top college officials for making innovative improvements in curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities.
- No. 10 in the Learning Communities category. App State’s Residential Learning Communities provide students an academic learning experience outside the classroom in a fun and educational setting.
- No. 12 in the Best Undergraduate Teaching category among Southern universities, recognizing the high-quality instruction App State provides its undergraduate students.
Additionally, App State was recognized among Southern universities for Best Value and Top Performers on Social Mobility, which recognizes schools that are successful at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of students receiving the Pell Grant. App State was also ranked among the top institutions nationwide for First-Year Experiences, which recognizes schools for the experiences they provide first-year students, such as first-year seminar programs.
In January, U.S. News ranked App State Online programs among the nation’s best for 2025, naming the university in its “Best Online Bachelor’s Programs,” “Best Online Master’s in Education Programs,” “Best Online MBA Programs” and “Best Online Master’s in Nursing Programs” lists — all part of U.S. News’ 2025 “Best Online Programs” rankings.
Since the U.S. News’ “Best Colleges” rankings were first published annually, beginning in 1987, App State has consistently placed among the top 15 public and private Southern universities.
Access U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 “Best Colleges” rankings.
Learn more about App State’s 2025 “Best Online Programs” rankings from U.S. News.
Two App State students are pictured studying inside the Rankin Science Building on the Boone campus. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
A ‘Best College’ in the U.S., Southeast for 2026 — The Princeton Review
App State has been recognized as one of “The Best 391 Colleges” in the U.S. by The Princeton Review for 2026. Additionally, the publication named the university among 109 best schools in the South for 2026 — part of its “Best Colleges: Region by Region” website feature. The institutions included in both lists, released Aug. 12, were unranked.
In its online profile of App State, The Princeton Review wrote that Mountaineer students described App State as an “exceedingly affordable” school with “a strong sense of community” and faculty who are “all highly educated experts in their respective fields.” Additionally, students shared, “From advisors, professors, or even the people working in the kitchen, everyone legitimately wants to see you succeed.”
The profile also highlighted App State’s class sizes, which “allow a more personal learning experience,” according to the students surveyed. Additional highlights included the university’s Honors College; the textbook rental program — which saved students more than $5 million in 2022–23; App State’s numerous clubs and organizations; Mountaineer students’ passion for environmental responsibility; and the wide variety of Outdoor Programs. The university’s student-to-faculty ratio for fall 2025 is 16:1.
The “The Best 391 Colleges” list is generated based on the student experience at each of the recognized institutions — as reported by students in The Princeton Review’s survey for the project. Responses were collected from 170,000 students, who were asked to answer questions on the topics of Academics and Administration, Quality of Life, Politics, Campus Life, Town Life, Extracurriculars and Social Scene.
Additionally, The Princeton Review recognized App State among the top 10 schools in the nation named to its 2026 “Green Matters: Everyone Cares About Conservation” rankings list. The list of 25 schools was determined based on students’ answers to the publication’s survey questions, including how students rate their school’s administration and student support for environmental awareness and conservation efforts.
App State was also featured in The Princeton Review’s 2025 “Guide to Green Colleges,” released Oct. 15, 2024. National and international colleges and universities included in the guide were rated on quality of life on campus, environmental responsibility and preparing students for employment, according to the publication. More than 25 survey data points were analyzed by The Princeton Review editors to tally Green Rating scores for the schools on a scale of 60 to 99, with schools earning a Green Rating of 80 or higher named to the guide. App State received a Green Rating of 90.
Access The Princeton Review’s “The Best 391 Colleges” list.
Access The Princeton Review’s “Best Colleges: Region by Region” feature.
Access The Princeton Review’s 2026 “Green Matters: Everyone Cares About Conservation” list.
Access The Princeton Review’s 2025 “Guide to Green Colleges” list.
Pictured on Sept. 15, App State students are shown in a criminal justice class inside Anne Belk Hall on the Boone campus. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Among ‘America’s Top Colleges’ for 2025–26 — Forbes magazine
App State ranks among the top public and private schools in the nation according to Forbes magazine, which recognized the university in its 2025–26 “America’s Top Colleges” rankings list, released Aug. 26.
The university was ranked No. 8 among public and private North Carolina schools on the list and fourth among public schools in the state, with the university placing as one of the top five North Carolina schools recognized in the large schools category. The university was the only rural North Carolina institution recognized on Forbes’ list and was ranked among the top 44% of nationwide schools named in the list’s rural category.
According to Forbes, its 2025–26 college rankings spotlight schools “that produce successful, high-earning and influential graduates from all economic backgrounds, with less student debt.”
Forbes used 14 metrics, in the following categories, to determine its rankings: alumni salaries; student loan debt; return on investment; graduation rates; retention rates; academic success; and the number of graduates produced by the schools who are named to designated lists of successful leaders in public service, business, the arts and athletics.
Access the Forbes list of “America’s Top Colleges” for 2025–26.
One of the nation’s ‘Best Colleges’ for 2026 — The Wall Street Journal
App State is one of the best colleges and universities in the nation for 2026, according to The Wall Street Journal, which recognized the university in its “2026 Best Colleges in the U.S.” rankings list, released Sept. 29.
Developed and executed in collaboration with WSJ research partners College Pulse and Statista, the list was determined using federal data and students’ survey responses related to the following:
- Student outcomes, including graduation rates and graduate salaries.
- The schools’ learning environments, including the quality and frequency of both learning and career preparation opportunities and students’ satisfaction with the school’s learning facilities.
- The diversity of the schools’ student body and faculty.
Additionally, WSJ recognized App State among 2026’s best colleges for providing:
- a great student experience;
- the best educational value;
- the best graduate salaries; and
- opportunities for students to enhance their social mobility.
Access The Wall Street Journal’s college rankings for 2026.
A ‘Best-in-Class,’ ‘Best Bang for the Buck’ and No. 1 Master’s University in NC — Washington Monthly
App State has been recognized within the top 9% of institutions named to the Washington Monthly magazine’s 2025 “Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars” rankings list, which measures how well colleges deliver value to both students and the public. The university was named among the top five public and private North Carolina schools on the list.
The publication also recognized App State in its “25 Best-in-Class Colleges” list — a selection of “stand-out institutions” that “show what’s possible when colleges put students and the public good first,” according to the magazine. Schools named to the list were unkranked.
In its profile on App State, Washington Monthly highlighted the university’s “vibrant campus culture,” along with its student programming and events and its status as an economic mainstay for the region, citing a recent economic impact that found that, in fiscal year 2021–22, App State generated an estimated $573 million in added income for the regional economy and $2.2 billion for the state.
“That’s the spirit of Appalachian State: Celebrating what’s unique about its community, while taking every opportunity to lift it up,” wrote Washington Monthly.
Additionally, the publication ranked App State within the top 11% of public and private colleges and universities in the Southeast named to its 2025 “Best Bang for the Buck Colleges” list. The list recognizes schools that help students “attain marketable degrees at affordable prices,” the magazine wrote. Among the list’s public higher education institutions, App State earned the No. 23 spot out of 98 public schools named to the list.
The publication also recognized App State in its “2025 Master’s University Rankings” list, with App State placing within the top 5% of nationwide public and private institutions named to the list — an advancement of four percentage points above the university’s 2024 ranking. Among North Carolina schools recognized, App State secured the No. 1 spot.
Schools named to Washington Monthly’s 2025 rankings lists were ranked based on their contribution to the public good in four broad categories: access, affordability, student outcomes and promoting public service. Data from the access, affordability and student outcomes categories was used to determine the publication’s “Best Bang for the Buck” rankings. The Washington Monthly lists were published Aug. 24.
Access Washington Monthly’s 2025 “Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars,” “25 Best-in-Class Colleges” “Best Bang for the Buck” and “Master’s University Rankings” lists.
A ‘Best College’ for value in 2025 — Money.com
App State has been named in Money.com’s “Best Colleges in America” list for 2025, released in June. The list, which focuses on affordability and return on investment, recognizes four-year public and private colleges and universities across the country where “students are more likely to graduate and land jobs,” the magazine wrote.
Money’s analysis of the “Best Colleges” considered 25 data points grouped into three categories — quality, affordability and student outcomes. Among the data points were graduation rates, cost of attendance, financial aid and alumni salaries.
Access Money.com’s 2025 “Best Colleges in America” list.
What do you think?
Share your feedback on this story.
Online and transfer enrollment records drive strategic growth across university, while Boone enrollment remains steady
The university is one of 251 U.S. higher education institutions named to 2025 Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Honor Roll
The 2025 US News rankings recognized App State business, education and nursing programs
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
Online and transfer enrollment records drive strategic growth across university, while Boone enrollment remains steady
The university is one of 251 U.S. higher education institutions named to 2025 Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Honor Roll
The 2025 US News rankings recognized App State business, education and nursing programs
![Lights Over Linville — Brown Mountain’s Enduring Mystery [faculty featured]](/_images/_posts/2025/10/lights-over-linville-600x400.jpg)
![Folk Revival After Helene [faculty and alumni featured]](/_images/_posts/2025/09/folk-revival-600x400.jpg)
