ULV Leads in Social Mobility in U.S. News College Rankings
The University of La Verne has once again been named a national leader in higher education in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. For the seventh consecutive year, the university secured a top 10 position among national universities for social mobility, ranking No. 7. The University of La Verne remains the highest-ranked private California university in this category.
“This continued recognition for social mobility speaks to our mission of ensuring that students, regardless of their background or circumstances, have the opportunity to achieve success through higher education,” said Interim President Risa Dickson.
Top performers on the U.S. News & World Report social mobility ranking were measured by the extent schools enrolled and graduated students who received federal Pell Grants, which means their total family incomes are usually less than $50,000 per year.
Social mobility isn’t the only area where the University of La Verne stands out. The university’s undergraduate psychology program continues to shine as a top-ranked program, and for the first time, the institution has been recognized among the Best Colleges for Veterans.
“We are incredibly proud to be recognized for our commitment to military connected students. This recognition is thanks to dedicated individuals at our Veteran’s Center, as well as those in advising, admissions, the registrar’s office and other ULV community support staff,” said Suzanne Beaumaster, university interim associate provost. “Such acknowledgment deepens our dedication to continuously enhance their experience by developing new initiatives, fostering a truly military-friendly campus, and creating effective support systems tailored to their unique needs.”
Now in its 40th year, the U.S. News & World Report rankings evaluate nearly 1,500 national colleges and universities. Special emphasis is placed on social mobility and outcomes for graduating college students, but up to 17 other measures are also taken into consideration. Top Performers on Social Mobility is a ranking that assesses how successful schools are at graduating students from low-income households.
The University of La Verne is one of 436 national universities listed in the latest rankings, further reinforcing its standing as a leading institution dedicated to lifelong learning, diversity, and community engagement.
Beyond the U.S. News & World Report rankings, the University of La Verne’s ongoing commitment to excellence and student success has been acknowledged this ranking season by several other prestigious organizations:
Wall Street Journal & College Pulse
The University of La Verne is among the top 100 Best U.S. College 2025 Wall Street Journal rankings for the second year in a row. Out of 500 institutions, including 60 private universities, ULV ranked #80. The university also continues to rank among the top 20 schools for social mobility.
The Princeton Review
The University of La Verne was also once again featured in The Princeton Review 2025 Best College in the West. It is one of 79 institutions in the region recognized.
Military Friendly®
Earlier this year, the university was once again designated a 2024-25 Military Friendly® School with a gold ranking. The Military Friendly® Company measures an institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student veterans based on student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence, and loan default rates for all students. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2024-25 survey. University of La Verne is one of 537 schools to earn the gold award level designation this year.
