U.S. News and World Report released its 2026 Best National University ranking on Sept. 23, 2025. This is the first time Vanderbilt’s ranking has increased since it was first ranked No. 17 in 2020 following a four-year period where Vanderbilt ranked in the Top 15 across schools nationwide. Cruz Alfonso, a first-year, expressed his approval for Vanderbilt’s higher ranking. “[The higher ranking is] an excellent improvement for the school, and I’m very excited to see where this [school] goes next,” Alfonso said.