We’re tops!
Hunter College was the top-ranked school for social mobility in this year’s U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 College Rankings for Regional Universities North.
Hunter jumped from its third-place finish last year in the category, showing how the college keeps fulfilling its generations-long mandate to be New York City’s engine of economic mobility and social integration.
Since its inception in 1870 as a teacher-training academy founded by maverick educator Thomas Hunter, an Irish immigrant, Hunter has reflected the diversity and values of New York City. The first city institution offering free public higher education for girls, it welcomed students of all races, religions, and backgrounds — a visionary commitment to equality only a few years after the Civil War.
That commitment to social justice for students remains — today, Hunter’s student body is more then 70 percent minority and a third immigrants.
The college also placed 10th among Top Public Schools, ninth as a Best College for Undergraduate Teaching, ninth in the category of Most Innovative Schools, and 27th overall in U.S. News’ north regional category.
The rankings showed the continued vitality of public colleges and universities, which educate the vast majority of American undergraduates. After Hunter at No 1, six CUNY senior colleges ranked among the top 10 in the north region universities for social mobility, the others being Baruch College (2), Lehman College (tied at 4), John Jay College of Criminal Justice (6), Queens College (7), and Brooklyn College (8).
“These rankings by U.S. News further attest to CUNY’s superlative strength as an engine of social mobility and a system of schools that provide high-quality educational experiences,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “We are proud to help all students, regardless of their economic background, pursue and achieve their professional dreams.”
When calculating its rankings, U.S. News groups institutions according to the degrees they offer and award, naming the top national universities, regional universities, regional colleges, and liberal arts colleges. The media company bases the distinctions on the number of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree programs that are offered by a college or university as well as the institution’s geographic location.
U.S. News further bases its rankings on graduation and retention rates, standardized test scores from college admissions exams like the SAT and ACT, financial resources and other factors. The publication bases its social mobility rankings on the graduation rates of Pell Grant recipients.
