TU among nation's Top 100 for second year in a row, 'U.S. News' says

September 14, 2020

“U.S. News & World Report” has once again named Towson University one of the best public universities in the country. The publication’s rankings, released Monday, placed Towson University 100th among national public universities.

TU also rose sharply in the social mobility category and received recognition for its undergraduate business and computer science programs. The magazine ranked TU No. 196 of all public and private national institutions.

“This recognition of TU reflects the excellence of our world-class faculty, coupled with the relevance and rigor of our degree programs. 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,” President Kim Schatzel says.

This is the second year that Towson University has been classified in the national rankings. Previously, TU had been ranked regionally in the north, but a change in its Carnegie Classification two years ago moved the university into the national rankings.

“U.S. News & World Report” defines a national university as offering “a full range of undergraduate majors, master’s and doctoral programs and emphasiz[ing] faculty research or award[ing] professional practice doctorates.”

Fellow University System of Maryland schools on the national list include the University of Maryland—College Park, UMBC and University of Maryland—Eastern Shore.

Compared to last year, TU jumped 25 spots in the social mobility rankings to No. 161. Those rankings focus on schools with a larger Pell Grant recipient pool. Students at TU who are recipients of Pell Grants achieve nearly the same graduation success as the entirety of the student body.

Praise through rankings has been constant for TU in the past month.

• Money magazine ranked Towson University 103rd on its 2020 Best Colleges for Your Money list—four spots higher than its 2019 ranking—and in Maryland, second only to Johns Hopkins University. Read more.
• Princeton Review included TU among the 224 colleges selected for its 2021 Best Regional Colleges for the Best Northeastern category. 
• “Washington Monthly” ranked Towson University No. 30 among national public universities and No. 55 among all national universities in its 2020 College Rankings. Towson University was also recognized as No. 31 in the subcategory of social mobility and one of just nine institutions in the nation with a student voter registration rate higher than 85%. 

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: TU Matters to Maryland, Diverse and Inclusive Campus, World-Class Faculty Development Center and Strategic Plan Alignment.