Not only is BW one of the leading regional universities once again, the University is also lauded for Best Value, Social Mobility, Best for Veterans and Best Engineering Program in the latest rankings.
For the 32nd straight year, Baldwin Wallace University is ranked a top higher education choice in U.S. News and World Report's "Best Colleges" survey, coming in at #12 on the 2026 list of top universities in the 12-state Midwest Region.
BW is also ranked as a Best Value (#23), Best for Social Mobility (#26) and Best for Veterans (#5) among 164 Midwest Regional peer institutions. BW's growing engineering major made a national list of the Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs at schools where doctorate not offered.
"First, this recognition represents the excellence and dedication of our outstanding faculty and staff as they work with our students," said BW President Lee Fisher. "We're also proud that the BW student experience not only includes learning from our great faculty but also from leaders in our other classroom — the city and the region. We are proud to say our students graduate leader-ready, career-ready and future-ready."
U.S. News touts its rankings as "symbols of excellence in higher education that are conferred by an unbiased trust agent." The publication annually evaluates nearly 1,500 national colleges and universities on measures of academic quality, emphasizing social mobility and outcomes for graduating college students.
Using a wide range of data sources, U.S. News analysts and editors calculated rankings "with the intent of enabling students and their families to identify colleges that best meet their needs" and excel in specific areas such as value, social mobility and veterans' needs.
Scott Schulz, BW vice president for student experience and enrollment management, emphasized that the "Best Value" ranking reflects BW's strong commitment to affordability through generous scholarships and need-based aid. "This fall, nearly one-third of our incoming class is Pell-eligible and/or first-generation — clear evidence that BW is opening doors for students across all socioeconomic backgrounds," Schulz said.
Schulz also noted that one-third of first-year students came from outside Ohio this fall. "While Ohioans have long appreciated the way BW uniquely positions our students to be successful, our growing geographic reach shows that recognition of BW's excellence is expanding into our region and well beyond."
BW's performance in quality, affordability and student outcomes was also recently affirmed by Money's Best Colleges in America 2025, and the University also appears on a variety of other best lists, including The Princeton Review and Niche.
Individual programs of excellence also earn recognition, such as the recent ranking of BW's nursing program as Best in Ohio by RegisteredNurse.org and U.S News lists for top national graduate programs in Physician Assistant, Speech-Language Pathology, Online MBA and MAEd.
BW's Veteran and Military support enjoys wide recognition as a participant in the Yellow Ribbon Program, one of the first schools in Ohio to earn the Collegiate Purple Star award, and a recipient of GI Jobs Magazine's Gold Military Friendly recognition since 2008.
