John Jay College was ranked #6 for social mobility nationwide by U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Colleges rankings. It also ranked #7 in public colleges and #9 for most innovative among colleges in the North.

Using a wide range of data sources, U.S. News analysts and editors calculated rankings to help students and their families identify colleges that best meet their needs. For their social mobility rankings, U.S. News identified colleges that are more successful than others at enrolling and graduating large proportions of students who receive Pell Grants, which are awarded to students with adjusted gross family incomes under $50,000. Read more about their methodology here.

Committed to educating fierce advocates for justice, this recognition reflects John Jay’s mission to provide students from historically underrepresented communities with access to higher education and the economic, social and other benefits of earning a college degree. With tuition a fraction of the average cost of attending comparable colleges nationwide, 85% of John Jay students graduate with $0 student debt. Click here to learn more about the affordability of a John Jay degree. 

John Jay is also ranked #1 nationwide in most affordable forensic science and best affordable forensic psychology schools by University HQ, #1 in public universities in New York by Niche, #7 in “best bang for the buck” by Washington Monthly and a best college in America by Money.