A large crowd of John Jay College graduates in caps and gowns cheer with their arms raised as gold and white confetti rains down at a commencement ceremony.

US News: John Jay Is #4 for Social Mobility

John Jay College was ranked #4 for social mobility in the North by U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 Best Colleges rankings. It also ranked #6 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. 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.

John Jay is also ranked #1 nationwide for most affordable forensic psych and forensic science programs, #3 nationwide for sending Black students to law school and #13 for Hispanic students, #3 nationwide for social mobility by US News & World Report, #5 nationwide in Best Value by the Wall Street Journal, #5 in the Northeast for Best Bang for the Buck by Washington Monthly and a Best College in America by Money magazine.