The U. S. News and World Report (USNWR) published its 2026 College and University rankings. Samford appeared on three of the rankings lists, in the categories of Best Value, Best Undergraduate Teaching and the overall best college ranking.
Samford was No. 35 nationally on the Best Undergraduate Teaching rankings.
“U.S. News & World Report asked top academics to name the schools they believe have faculty with a remarkably strong commitment to undergraduate teaching,” the ranking’s methodology said.
The colleges on the list are those that received the most nominations.
Provost David Cimbora credited the university’s faculty for this achievement.
“Samford’s outstanding faculty members distinguish themselves through scholarly and creative output while enriching students with deep mentorship,” Cimbora said. “Our university is graced by professors who challenge, invigorate and nurture our students.”
Samford was also ranked 105th nationally in Best Value schools. This list took into account academic quality versus cost of attendance. The USNWR’s methodology explained that these schools were evaluated according to four factors: Academic quality versus price, percentage of students receiving aid, grant and scholarship aid given by the university, and the school’s average discount.
“The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal,” the website said of this category.
In both Best Value and Best Undergraduate Teaching, Samford was the top university from Alabama on the lists.
Finally, Samford was ranked No. 179 in overall national universities. The universities on this list are ranked according to up to 17 factors, including graduation rates, first-year retention rates and student-faculty ratio.
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