Fairfield climbs 30 spots overall and earns top national recognition for graduate earnings, student outcomes, and engineering, nursing, and business programs.
New No. 38 Amongst National Universities for Earnings by Major ranking highlights Fairfield’s liberal arts foundation with an emphasis on critical thinking, interdisciplinary learning, and experiential education.
Fairfield University climbed 30 spots in the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, rising from No. 139 to No. 109 (T) among National Universities in the 2027 edition. Fairfield also ranked No. 60 (T) among Top Private Colleges—National Universities, a new category introduced this year.
Fairfield earned No. 38 nationally in the new Earnings by Major category, which measures post-graduation earnings relative to graduates’ fields of study. The University also rose to No. 78 in Graduation Rate Performance, up from No. 96 last year.
Fairfield advanced to No. 72 (T) among Best Colleges for Veterans—National Universities, also up from No. 96 last year.
The University’s strong showing also extends across several academic programs. The Charles F. Dolan School of Business ranked No. 129 (T) nationally among Undergraduate Business programs, with six specialties earning recognition among the nation’s top 30; No. 15 in Finance, No. 15 in Management, No. 16 in Analytics (T), No. 16 in Marketing, No. 24 in Accounting (T) and No. 26 in Entrepreneurship (T).
The School of Engineering and Computing’s Engineering Program is ranked No. 82 (T) nationally.
Fairfield’s Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies also earned national recognition with its Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program ranked No. 75 (T).
The University’s 2027 U.S. News results build on recent national recognition of Fairfield’s strong student and career outcomes. Earlier this year, LinkedIn ranked Fairfield at No. 27 on its Top Colleges 2026 list for long-term career success in the U.S. and No. 9 nationally for job placement.
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings evaluate more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities using up to 17 key measures of academic quality and graduate success. Some of those key factors include: Student Outcomes (graduation rates, retention, and post-graduation earnings, and earnings by major), Peer Assessment (surveys of college presidents, provosts, and deans), Faculty Resources (faculty salaries, student-faculty ratio and share of full-time faculty), Financial Resources, Standardized Tests, and Faculty Research, among others.
