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Rankings & Accolades

Since 1852, we’ve prided ourselves on excellence.

Explore some of the prestigious rankings and notable accolades that Loyola University Maryland has earned from major national, international, and regional reports, studies, and surveys.

 

Best 398 Colleges for 2024

Loyola has again been included in the Princeton Review’s Best 389 Colleges list—and earned a spot on the Best School by Region (Mid-Atlantic) and Green Colleges lists. Loyola has been included in 30 consecutive editions of the Princeton Review’s publication.

Learn more about Princeton Review’s Best 389 Colleges
No. 4 in the north

Loyola University Maryland is included in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges list (2023), earning the No. 4 spot among Best Regional Universities in the North. Loyola, which has been ranked in the top five for more than a decade, also ranked in the regional list for Best Value and Best First-Year Experiences.

Learn more about Loyola’s ranking with U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges list
Top 2% for long-term return on investment

A Loyola University Maryland degree is one of the most valuable in the country, according to a study completed by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. Loyola ranks in the top 2% in the nation for long-term return on investment (ROI), based on the average earning potential of alumni, relatively low average student debt, and a top graduation rate (80%).

Learn more about the return on investment of a Loyola education
Top Residence Halls in the Country

Welcome home, Hounds! Loyola’s residence halls have been ranked in the top 20 of the Princeton Review’s national list for Best College Dorms for more than a decade, including in their 2023 roundup of the 388 Best Colleges.

Explore Loyola’s award-winning housing
Best First-Year Experience

Loyola ranks in the top 25% of just under 200 schools recognized by U.S. News & World Report for the comprehensive programs and experiences they offer first-year students that lead to their success.

Learn more about Messina, Loyola’s first-year experience

No. 3 in the nation for study abroad

Loyola ranks third in the nation among master’s institutions for study abroad, according to an Open Doors Report on International Education Exchange. Two-thirds of Greyhounds participate in Loyola’s more than 60 study abroad opportunities in 25 countries around the globe and 70% of students have an international experience before they graduate.

Learn more about Loyola's study abroad programs
Top 6% for mid-career salary

Loyola University Maryland ranked in the top 6% nationally for the highest mid-career salary potential of graduates in PayScale’s 2020-21 College ROI Report—and No. 2 for post-grad salary among colleges in Maryland, second only to the United States Naval Academy.

A recent study by Stacker that also uses data from PayScale.com recognized Loyola nationally among the Top 100 Colleges whose alumni go on to earn the most money.

Learn more about long-term ROI and salary rankings
Unmatched preparation for professional school

Loyola students are accepted to medical and dental schools at a rate that is twice the national average. The acceptance rate for Loyola students to med school is 83% (compared to a 39% acceptance rate nationally); Greyhounds are accepted to dental schools at a rate of 87% (the national annual average is 41%). Learn about Loyola’s Pre-Health programs.

Loyola seniors average a 90% law school acceptance rate, including to Top 25 and Top 50 programs each year. Learn about Loyola's Pre-Law program.

Setting the bar
for sustainability

Loyola University Maryland is included in the Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges (2024), which profiles more than 680 universities across the country in terms of environmental responsibility, from use of renewable energy to recycling and conservation programs, environmental studies opportunities for students, and career guidance for green jobs.

Loyola is also a member of the first international cohort of 68 schools enrolled as Laudato Si' Universities committed to furthering sustainability efforts.

Learn more about sustainability at Loyola

Leading
engineering program

Loyola University Maryland is again recognized as having one of the top engineering programs in the country that focuses on undergraduates. Loyola ranked No. 49 among more than 230 schools for undergraduate engineering programs by U.S. News &World Report in their 2022-23 ratings of more than 1,850 colleges.

Learn more about engineering at Loyola

Recognized for excellence in undergraduate teaching

Loyola University Maryland is recognized by U.S. News & World Report for focus on and commitment to excellence in undergraduate teaching for the fifth year in a row.

Meet a few of our dedicated expert faculty
Best Business School

Loyola’s Sellinger School of Business and Management has been named a Best Business School by the Princeton Review in its annual roundup—and earned a spot on the Best On-Campus MBA list. In addition to making the list of 243 business schools, Sellinger was one of 67 programs ranked on the list of Best Business Schools in the Northeast.

The Sellinger School has also consistently been ranked by U.S. News & World Report in their Best Graduate Schools list, and lauded in the top 25% of business schools for MBA specialties accounting, management, and business analytics.

No. 1 for Veterans

Loyola ranks No. 1 among the Best Colleges for Veterans in the North region by U.S. News & World Report. The ranking is based on participation in federal initiatives that help make pursuing a college degree more affordable for veterans and active-duty service members.

Top 7% of private schools for earning potential

We supply demand—with bigger earning potential. PayScale.com ranks Loyola 75 out of 965 private colleges and universities across the country for salary potential of alumni with bachelor’s degrees. When expanded to include alumni who hold master’s and doctoral degrees, Loyola ranks in the top 9% nationally.

Learn more about PayScale.com’s rankings
Nationally ranked
graduate programs
Best college for getting a job

Loyola is the Best College for Getting a Job in Maryland, according to career research site Zippia. In its 2020 report, which ranks schools in each state, Zippia ranks recent Loyola grads at a 94% placement rate. In fact, 98.8% of Greyhounds are employed, enrolled in professional or graduate school, or completing full-time service within six to nine months of receiving their diplomas.

Learn more about the Career Center
Best campus in Maryland

Sprawling 81 wooded acres in the heart of a residential neighborhood in North Baltimore, Loyola’s Evergreen campus is, quite simply, what you picture when you think of a college campus—and why ours ranks No. 1 in Maryland—and in the top 10% for Best College Campuses in America!—by Niche. Our campus is also ranked the safest in the State of Maryland.

Explore the Evergreen campus
One of the lowest student loan default rates in the country

At 2%, Loyola has a drastically lower rate (which is provided by the U.S. Department of Education) than the average for four-year public (9.6%) and private (6.6%) schools in the U.S. We are proud of our graduates, who go on to earn competitive salaries and see growth in their career trajectory and income, allowing them to successfully pay off student debt.

See the value of a Loyola degree
Top school for service learning

Loyola is named by U.S. News & World Report as a Best University for Service Learning. Loyola has also received the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the U.S. government’s highest recognition for community service, for nine years and counting.

Loyola received the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, awarded to just 119 higher education institutions across the country that demonstrate national models for community-engaged learning and ensure reciprocal partnerships with local nonprofit, public, and other organizations, for 2020-26.

Learn more about service-learning at Loyola
Leader in innovation

Loyola is again recognized as a leader among colleges and universities making promising innovations in technology, curriculum, and other areas by U.S. News & World Report in their 2024 rankings—moving up seven spots, from No. 11 in 2023, to No. 4 for Most Innovative Schools in the North region.

Learn more U.S. News & World Report’s latest rankings
Top Fulbright Producer

Recognized as a Fulbright Top Producing Institution, Loyola set a new university record for Fulbright winners with eight awards received in 2019-20.

Learn about Loyola’s Fulbright Scholars
Top 10% in the country for value

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance recognizes Loyola among 400 U.S. institutions that offer an exceptional education that is accessible to students who demonstrate financial need. Kiplinger analyzes student-to-faculty ratio, test scores of incoming students, graduation rates, low student debt at graduation, and median job earnings following graduation.

Learn more about Kiplinger’s "Best College Value" ranking
Named Among Best Colleges in Maryland

Loyola University Maryland ranks among the Best Colleges in Maryland in 2023 by Intelligent.com based on academic quality, graduation rate, cost, return on investment, and student resources. The University also received accolades for the Best Business Program recognizing the Sellinger School of Business and Management.

Learn more about the Intelligent.com ranking

#5 among all NCAA D-I teams

Go Hounds! Loyola’s 97% Graduation Success Rate (GSR) for student-athletes is the fourth highest among 351 Division I schools in the country. The university's GSR has ranked in the top six nationally in all 18 years of the report’s existence.

Learn more about Loyola student-athletes’ Graduation Success Rate
Great place for sports

Loyola fares among the best colleges for sports and athletes, earning accolades for Best College Athletics in Maryland and Best College for Student-Athletes by Niche—and landing a spot in the top 10% of more than 1,500 schools nationally for Best Value Colleges for Sports by PayScale.com. The Princeton Review lists Loyola with just 24 other universities nationwide for Great Athletics Facilities.

Discover Greyhounds athletics
Best for your money

Loyola University Maryland is once again recognized in Money Magazine’s annual list of higher education value rankings. Loyola ranked 365 out of 739 U.S. colleges and universities—and in the top 40% of private universities nationally—based on three primary factors: quality of education, affordability, and outcomes.

Learn more about Money Magazine’s annual list
Top university for social mobility

Loyola University Maryland was recognized as a Top Performer on Social Mobility by U.S. News & World Report for enrolling and graduating underrepresented students who are Pell Grant recipients. In fact, 20% of students in the Class of 2024 are Pell-eligible, and 14% of students at Loyola are Pell Grant recipients—with a graduation rate among those students of 82%.

What’s more, a 2022 study by Georgetown University recently ranked Loyola in the top 2% for ROI among all U.S. colleges and universities for low-income students.

Best Catholic college in America

Loyola is named a Best Catholic College in America by Niche; College Consensus awards Loyola the No. 10 spot on their list of the 25 Best Catholic Colleges and Universities in the U.S.; and PLEXUSS named Loyola the No. 1 Faith-Based School in Maryland.

While you don’t have to be Catholic to attend Loyola, which welcomes people of all faith backgrounds, Catholic colleges have long been an international standard for academic quality and rigor.

TOP 28%

The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Ed's placed Loyola University Maryland at No. 220 out of 797 colleges and universities nationwide in their 2023 college ranking—citing outcomes as one of Loyola’s strongest areas. Greyhounds ranked highly for graduation rate (83%) and the average salary of alumni at the 10-year mark ($65,300).

Recognized for Contributing to the Greater Good

Loyola University Maryland ranks No. 31 of more than 600 schools across the United States in Washington Monthly’s 2022 Master’s University Rankings for its contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research, and providing opportunities for public service. WM’s list recognizes universities based on "what they are doing for the country." Loyola also received their Best Bang for the Buck Ranking (2022), which recognizes affordability and value.