Gallaudet University has seen its recent improvement and innovation reflected in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings.
The Best Colleges rankings have been released annually by U.S. News & World Report since 1983. This year, Gallaudet improved its placement in every category from the 2026 rankings, including placing 179th among 428 National Universities. The recognition highlights Gallaudet’s unique status as the world’s only liberal arts university for deaf and hard of hearing students, and its reputation for affordability, accessibility, and student success.
Social Mobility
In addition to the recognition above, Gallaudet University also ranked 57th in Top Performers on Social Mobility, showing the university’s success in uplifting deaf and hard of hearing students, as well as hearing students who qualify to enroll. The Social Mobility rankings reflect the number of enrolled students who receive financial aid through Pell Grants.
Since 1864, Gallaudet has been the world leader in educating deaf and hard of hearing college students. We offer a broad spectrum of academic tracks that can take graduates wherever they want to go. Many of our students complete internships during their time with the university, building their resume and developing invaluable career experience.
Best Value
Gallaudet University ranked 13th out of 208 schools in Best Value among National Universities, which reflects our commitment to accessibility. The Best Value rankings place schools based on their tuition costs and quality of education, highlighting schools that have strong outcomes at an affordable price.
Gallaudet is committed to making our world-class education financially accessible to students from all backgrounds. To learn more about Gallaudet’s financial accessibility, visit the Affordability and Financial Aid pages.
Context and Considerations
Almost 1,500 institutions submitted statistical data and information for the 2027 edition of the Best Colleges rankings. The rankings incorporated a new factor: “postgraduate earnings by major”, which counted for 5% of the formula.
U.S. News gets their data from the ranked colleges, as well as third-party sources such as IPEDS, Common Data Set (CDS), College Scorecard, and peer surveys. While the rankings are widely followed, the methodology is not without controversy. Critics point out that reputation surveys, the weighting of resources and selectivity, and the way outcomes for low-income or first-generation students are measured may favor larger or more heavily resourced institutions.
Even so, Gallaudet takes pride in its performance. These rankings provide one lens among many to assess our progress, particularly in affordability and social mobility, and serve as motivation to keep improving access, opportunity, and student success. To learn more about the methodology, visit the U.S. News website.
