U.S. News Ranks University of Scranton Among ‘Best Online’

The University of Scranton, fueled by elite finishes in two of its signature MBA specializations, remains one of the best colleges and universities for an online graduate education, according to the U.S. News and World Report’s 2026 “Best Online Graduate Programs” rankings.

Scranton earned a rare dual achievement with two top-20 finishes in the MBA Finance (tied, 14th) and MBA Business Analytics (tied, 16th) categories. Additionally, the University tied for 76th in Best Online Master’s in Business Programs and tied for 152nd in Best Online MBA Programs.

Hundreds of qualifying schools were eligible for the U.S. News rankings, which were released Tuesday, Jan. 27. U.S. News considers criteria including student engagement, student excellence, faculty credentials and training and student services and technology.

Scranton performed particularly well in the student engagement and student excellence categories. Student engagement examines factors like graduation rates, class size, one-year retention rates and best practices such as accreditation by AACSB International, while student excellence weighs acceptance rates, work experience and students’ undergraduate GPAs, among other things. In the Best Online Master’s in Business Programs category, Scranton ranked No. 7 in student excellence and No. 47 in student engagement.

According to the most recent Roche Family Center for Career Development’s First Destination Survey, graduate degree recipients in The University of Scranton’s Class of 2024 reported a 100% success rate. Survey participants reported a mean annual salary of $82,932 — a 15.4% increase from just three years earlier — with 95% of them employed full-time.

Scranton offers online graduate degrees in accounting and finance, business, business analytics, health administration, health informatics, health sciences, human resources, operations and management, social sciences and STEM, as well as graduate certificates in various fields.

The University of Scranton also achieved high marks in the U.S. News 2026 “Best Colleges” report, released in the fall, which ranked Scranton as a top 10 college in its region with six undergraduate programs ranked nationally. The most recent U.S. News “Best Graduate Schools” report also placed five University of Scranton programs in the top 50 in the nation and several more in the top 150.