Awards and Rankings
February 27, 2026
University of Portland is going NATIONAL. 
After being ranked a top institution among regional universities in the West for more than 30 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has reclassified UP as a “National University” for its 2026-27 rankings cycle.
The consumer advice publication placed UP in the national conversation with peer institutions that offer comprehensive undergraduate programs, competitive graduate school curricula, and robust research activity. The University joins 207 private schools and 225 public schools that comprised U.S. News’ highest competitive category in 2026.
“This reclassification reaffirms what we’ve known to be true for many years; namely, that UP offers a nationally competitive academic and student experience,” said University of Portland President Robert D. Kelly, PhD. “We are confident that our new ‘national university’ designation will lead to even more talented prospective students and families to making UP their school of choice.”
U.S. News’ most recent annual rankings, released in the fall of 2025, placed UP as the #1 private school among Regional Universities-West. Achieving high marks for academic quality, graduation rates, and post-graduate student success, U.S. News named UP a “Best Value School” and #1 in the region for Undergraduate Teaching.
The U.S. News’ national classification comes on the heels of recent academic success across The Bluff—including UP’s recognition as a Top Producer of Fulbright U.S. Students, Senior Anna Singley earning the University’s third-ever Marshall Scholarship, and Pilot Athletics’ historic fall season.
This fall, UP will be measured against the nation’s elite institutions when U.S. News & World Report releases its 2027 college rankings. Dr. Kelly points to The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse national rankings for 2025 and 2026—which placed UP #71 and #86 nationally and #1 in the Pacific Northwest—as a recent example of how UP stacks up with the best schools in the country.
“While our classification may be changing, our mission remains the same,” Dr. Kelly said. “Oregon’s only comprehensive, Catholic university exists to form the hearts and minds of students and prepare them for lives of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. These commitments have guided and sustained UP for 125 years, and they will continue to be our north star as we write UP’s next great chapter.”University of Portland
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