U.S. News released their 2025 rankings of colleges and universities across the country on Sept. 24, with Fordham University dropping two places this year to the spot of 91st, tied with six other institutions: American University, Baylor University, Loyola Marymount University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Southern Methodist University and the University of South Florida. 

In the 2024 rankings, released last year, Fordham dropped 17 points from 72nd to 89th, sharing the 89th slot with Temple University, Southern Methodist University and the University of South Florida. 

“The university’s overarching strategy is to improve those ranking factors that are directly tied to student success and the student experience, regardless of their weight in the U.S. News score,” said Dr. Dennis Jacobs, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “Fordham’s rank in U.S. News is influenced both by our performance and the performance of the 434 other institutions included in the national rankings.”

The methodology used by U.S. News in their National University rankings has changed in recent years, as “more than half of a school’s rank now comprises measures related to schools’ success at enrolling, retaining and graduating students,” according to the U.S. News website. Efforts made to improve retention and graduation rates take years to fully implement and see the effects of, making it a possibility that Fordham may not rise in the rankings for a few more years. 

“The most strongly weighted measure contributing to 42% of a university’s overall score in the 2025 U.S. News rankings is the four-year rolling average of the university’s six-year graduation rate,” Jacobs said. “In other words, the 2025 rankings are based heavily on a lagging indicator — 83% of the students who entered Fordham between 2014 and 2017 graduated from Fordham six years after they started.”

In regards to the changed methodology used by U.S. News, Jacobs added that “the net effect was that public institutions, on average, did much better in the rankings, while private institutions like Fordham dropped significantly.” Approximately 38 public institutions outrank Fordham. 

“What is true in comparing the 2024 and 2025 rankings is that Fordham remains the fifth highest ranked Jesuit institution, the seventh highest Catholic institution and the 10th highest ranked university in New York state,” said Jacobs. 

Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business was ranked 77th in the nation, up seven points from last year. 

“We are committed to improving the first-to-second-year retention rate and graduation rate for Fordham undergraduates, the reputation and standing of Fordham’s academic programs, and the career readiness of our graduates. Together, these initiatives will impact 72% of Fordham’s weighted score in the current methodology of rankings employed by U.S. News,” Jacobs said.

Currently, Fordham’s graduation rate is at 76%, with an acceptance rate of 56%, according to U.S. News. “Since Fordham’s acceptance rate has gone up in recent years, I think we’re being less selective with our admissions, considering the acceptance rate was at an all-time high this year,” said Megan Ruzicka, FCRH ’27. “This could contribute to us dropping in the rankings.” 

U.S. News labels approximately 33 institutions — ranked higher than Fordham — with having a higher tuition rate, listing Fordham’s overall cost (tuition and fees) at $64,470. The University of South Florida, tied at 91 with Fordham, is the cheapest school in the top 91 spots with an overall cost of $17,324 for out-of-state students. 

In terms of the ranking, I feel like it has mostly to do with the cost,” said Maia Dawzack, FCRH ’27. “The tuition increase can be a huge adjustment, and probably is one for many people. There are definitely some things that can be hard to overlook, but I’m so grateful to be at Fordham and I love taking advantage of all the opportunities it offers, and it’s important to realize every school has its ups and downs.”