Indiana University of Pennsylvania has earned national and regional recognition from Research.com, ranking as a top college in the US, the Northeast, and among the top nine in Pennsylvania for quality, affordability, and value.
IUP was named to five national “best” lists: Best College, Best Public, Most Affordable, Best Value, and Most Popular.
In the northeast, IUP earned Most Affordable, Best College, Best Value, and Most Popular rankings.
Within Pennsylvania, Research.com ranked IUP sixth as a “Best College,” sixth as a “Most Affordable College,” ninth as a “Best Value College,” and recognized the university as a "Most Popular College." This firm analyzes independent data, including the US Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, assessing overall quality, affordability, popularity, and the time required to earn a degree.
Research.com editors recognized IUP as offering “a supportive, career-focused environment where students benefit from personalized attention and strong academic programs. Known for excellence in fields like criminology, education, business, and the health sciences, IUP combines hands-on learning with faculty mentorship. With modern facilities, a vibrant campus community, and a track record of alumni success, IUP helps students build confidence, develop in-demand skills, and prepare for meaningful professional futures.”
IUP is the only member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education to receive the 2025 Opportunity College and University-Higher Access, Higher Earnings designation by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education, which recognizes institutions with graduates who earn salaries that are 50 percent above (or more) than their peers in similar fields and institutions providing access to students that reflect the communities that they serve.
Only 20 Pennsylvania public institutions earned the Higher Access, Higher Earnings designation, and only 16 percent (479) of colleges and universities nationwide earned the recognition, which was also open to career-focused area institutions.
The Research.com recognition follows IUP’s selection for U.S. News & World Report’s “2026 Best Colleges” national universities ranking, with IUP’s undergraduate business, computer science, psychology, and nursing programs included on the listing of “Top Public Schools” and the university recognized in the “Top Performers on Social Mobility” listing.
IUP has been included in the U.S. News & World Report’s ranking for more than 25 years and in the Best Colleges for almost three decades.
IUP has also been listed in College Magazine’s top 10 colleges and universities in Pennsylvania, in Washington Monthly’s national ranking of universities based on contributions to society, in Forbes Magazine as one of “America’s Top Colleges,” as the number two most affordable college in Pennsylvania by Academic Influence, and in a number of national rankings for excellence and affordability of online programs.
IUP offers 100 academic majors, more than 60 graduate programs, and more than 40 graduate degrees. In addition, students can complete more than 70 minors—including a unique teamwork minor—and scores of specialized tracks and certificate programs, including certificates in athletic coaching, photography and digital imaging, popular music, geospatial intelligence, and public history.
IUP has a longstanding commitment to research on all levels and in all disciplines. In spring 2025, IUP earned an R2 Doctoral University–High Spending and Doctorate Production classification from the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in its 2025 Research Activity designations, one of only two public universities in Pennsylvania and one of only 97 public universities with this ranking nationwide. IUP first received the R2 ranking in 2022.
Only six universities in Pennsylvania and only 139 institutions nationwide hold the R2 status among more than 3,900 colleges and universities evaluated.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025 and through the Impact 150 comprehensive campaign, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking to its next 150 years of student success, innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.