We’re Honored

TU is recognized among the nation’s best in several rankings.

Each fall, myriad magazines rank the nation’s most prestigious universities. This year, TU was consistently celebrated on several of those lists for its world-class teaching and research and thriving diversity and inclusion.

U.S. News & World Report named TU one of the best public universities in the country. The publication’s 2021 rankings placed TU 100th among national public universities. Compared to last year, TU jumped 25 spots in the magazine’s social mobility rankings to No. 161. Those rankings focus on schools with a larger Pell Grant recipient pool. Pell Grants are awarded only to undergraduate students who display exceptional financial need and have not earned a bachelor’s, graduate or professional degree. TU’s Pell grant recipients achieve nearly the same graduation success as the entirety of the student body.

“Towson University continues to be recognized as among the top universities in the nation—public or private,” President Kim Schatzel says. “These immense honors recognize the opportunities TU creates through research, engagement and an inclusive community, which, together, place our institution among the best—public or private—in the nation.”

Melanie Perreault, provost and executive vice president for academic and student affairs, says that supporting students from all socioeconomic backgrounds lifts the entire community.

“This ranking confirms what we’ve known all along—that TU stands as an institution for the public good,” Perreault says. “Research shows the impact is generational. The success of first-generation students gets transferred to their children and their children’s children. It’s an exponential impact.”

Money magazine ranked TU 103rd on its 2020 Best Colleges for Your Money list—four spots higher than its 2019 spot—and in Maryland, second only to Johns Hopkins University.

Forbes ranked TU 320th in a field of 650 public and private colleges surveyed for its 2019 America’s Top Colleges list. TU also placed 137th out of 299 public and private institutions on the Forbes 2019 America’s Best Value Colleges ranking.

Washington Monthly ranked TU No. 30 among national public universities and No. 55 among all national universities in its 2020 College Rankings. TU was also recognized as No. 31 in the sub-category of social mobility and one of just nine institutions in the nation with a student voter registration rate above 85%.

Luis Sierra, assistant director for civic engagement in TU’s Office of Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility, said registering is just the first step.

“Simply put, registering to vote is only half of the equation,” Sierra says. “Turning that registration into voter turnout is the goal, so that our students can meaningfully use their voices to advocate for the issues that they care about.”

Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education’s 2020 student-sourced rankings put TU in the No. 394 slot on a national list of more than 800 U.S. colleges. Princeton Review included TU among the 224 colleges selected for its 2021 Best Regional Colleges for the Best Northeastern category. Princeton Review does not assign numerical rankings. TU was also placed in the top 9% of universities worldwide in the Center for World University Rankings for 2020-2021.