U.S. News & World Report Names Regent University a Best National University for the Eighth Year

September 22, 2026

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Sept. 22, 2026) — Regent University has been named a Best National University and a Top Private College by U.S. News & World Report in its 2027 Best Colleges rankings, which assessed over 1,700 institutions nationwide in multiple categories. In addition, Regent received recognition as one of the Best Undergraduate Psychology Programs and as a Top Performer in Social Mobility Among National Universities.

“Eight years of such recognition from U.S. News & World Report reflects Regent’s enduring commitment to offer a strong range of degree programs, at both the undergraduate and graduate level, to prepare students for influential careers,” said William L. Hathaway, Ph.D., Provost of Regent University.

U.S. News ranked Regent University in four categories:

Best National Universities (#382-#422)
For the eighth year, Regent was distinguished in the National Universities rankings, with an overall ranking in the #382-#422 tier for 2027. U.S. News assessed 422 U.S. bachelor’s degree-granting institutions in this category.

A total of 17 key measures of academic quality were utilized to calculate the rankings:

Graduation rates
First-year retention rates
Graduation rate performance
Pell graduation rates
Pell graduation performance
College grads earning more than a high school grad
Earnings by major
Peer assessment
Financial resources
Faculty salaries
Student-faculty ratio
Full-time faculty
Standardized tests
Citations per publication
Field weighted citation impact
Publication cited in the top 5% of journals
Publication cited in the top 25% of journals

Top Private Colleges (#173-#190)
Regent was featured in a new ranking added for 2027, specifically for private colleges at the National University level. This additional ranking allows prospective students to conduct a more tailored search to find their best-fit school and features 190 private colleges.

Best Undergraduate Psychology Programs (#570-#676)
This ranking was determined through a peer assessment by deans and faculty members from undergraduate psychology departments across the United States, who rated the academic quality of peer institutions’ psychology programs. A total of 676 programs were included.

Top Performers on Social Mobility Among National Universities (#273)
The social mobility ranking measures the extent to which schools enroll and graduate students who receive federal Pell grants. A total of 420 schools were included.

For a complete list of this year’s national rankings, visit usnews.com/best-colleges.

About Regent University

Founded in 1977, Regent University is America’s premier Christian university, with nearly 14,000 students studying on its 100-acre campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and online worldwide. The university offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in more than 150 areas of study, including business, communication and the arts, counseling, cybersecurity, divinity, education, government, law, leadership, nursing, healthcare, and psychology. Regent University has been ranked the No. 1 Best Online Bachelor’s Program in Virginia for 14 years in a row (U.S. News & World Report, 2026) and the No. 2 Top Military Friendly^® School in the nation (Military Friendly^® Schools, 2024-2025).

###

Request Information

URL

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Online or On Campus

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Online or On Campus Old

Online

On Campus

On Campus Degree Type(Required)

Online Degree Type(Required)

Choose a Program(Required)

This program is designed for registered nurses looking to advance their degree. A valid, unencumbered RN license is required to apply.

RN License Confirmation(Required)

I currently hold a valid RN license

Don't have your RN license yet? Explore other Regent programs.

High School Graduation(Required)

Are you an employee or the spouse/dependent of an employee?(Required)

Employee

Spouse/Dependent

Email Address(Required)

Company(Required)

Agency(Required)

Employee's Company(Required)

Employee's Agency(Required)

Company Email Address(Required)

Agency Email Address(Required)

Employee's Company Email Address(Required)

Employee's Agency Email Address(Required)

Employee's First Name(Required)

Employee's Last Name(Required)

Employee's First Name(Required)

Employee's Last Name(Required)

Your Email Address(Required)

First Name(Required)

Last Name(Required)

I live outside the US

Address(Required)

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Address(Required)

This field is hidden when viewing the form

City(Required)

This field is hidden when viewing the form

State(Required)

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Zip Code(Required)

Phone(Required)

I live in Canada

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Agent's Name(Required)

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Agent GUID

Agent's Notes

I would like to start application process

By entering my first and last name above and clicking “Learn More” below, this shall constitute my electronic signature and I expressly agree that Regent University or its third party service providers may call or text me for marketing purposes at the number I provide above, including through the use of an automatic telephone dialing system and/or artificial or prerecorded voice or message according to the TCPA Terms & Conditions below. Providing this consent is not required to obtain any good or service.