John Jay Ranked #3 for Social Mobility by U.S. News

John Jay College was ranked #3 for social mobility in the North in the U.S. News & World Report 2026 Best Colleges rankings. It also ranked #5 in public colleges.

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. 

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.

John Jay also ranks #1 for criminal justice and #5 for forensic psychology by intelligent.com, #1 in top public universities by Niche, #3 nationwide for sending Black applicants to law school and #13 for Hispanic applicants, #7 for best bang for your buck by Washington Monthly and #9 nationwide for best return on investment by Forbes.