Three graduate programs at Indiana University of Pennsylvania—criminology, nursing, and education—have been selected by U.S. News & World Report for its 2026 Best Online Programs ranking.
This recognition follows IUP’s section for the publication’s “2026 Best Colleges” national universities ranking, where IUP’s undergraduate business, computer science, psychology, and nursing programs were selected for listing of “Top Public Schools” and the university was recognized in the “Top Performers on Social Mobility” listing.
The 2026 Best Online graduate programs ranking evaluated more than 1,850 programs throughout the nation. IUP’s online master’s in criminal justice program ranked twenty-third in the nation. Programs were ranked based on overall academic quality.
IUP is the only member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education selected for 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 in the nation earned the recognition, which was also open to career-focused area institutions.
IUP has been included in the U.S. News & World Report’s ranking for more than 25 years. Magazine editors evaluate institutions based on independent data sources, including the US Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.
This ranking follows IUP’s 2025 inclusion in the Princeton Review’s Best Colleges 2026, which recognizes IUP’s commitment to student success, individualized support, and the diversity and welcoming environment of the IUP community.
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 hold the R2 status, and only 139 universities in the United States have the R2 status. More than 3,900 colleges and universities are included in the ranking system.
IUP is routinely selected by national publications and websites for excellence. In January, IUP 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.
In addition to U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review’s Best Colleges guidebook, IUP has 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.
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