Seattle Pacific scores high in 2026 national rankings

For the tenth year in a row, Seattle Pacific has been named a “Best National University” in U.S. News & World Report’s annual best college rankings for 2026. SPU was the first private university in the Pacific Northwest to achieve this ranking in 2017. U.S. News defines national universities as those institutions offering a range of undergraduate majors plus master's and doctoral programs and emphasizing faculty research or awarding professional doctorates.

Seattle Pacific is the No. 1 ranked Christian university in Washington state in Niche’s “2026 Best Christian Colleges in America.” Niche is one of the top guides for students with online resources providing information on K–12 schools, colleges, and more. The Princeton Review named SPU as one of the “Best West” regional colleges. The Wall Street Journal recognized SPU as one of America's Best Colleges for 2026. (Subscription required.)

SPU also ranked high in U.S. News’  Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs and Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs and was named a Top Performer in Social Mobility, which U.S. News describes as institutions that enroll and graduate large proportions of students who receive Pell Grants. (Pell Grants are a need-based federal financial aid program aimed at helping low-income families afford to pay for college).

Posted: Wednesday, October 1, 2025